


A work in progress

by GalenMarek227



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Acceptance, Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anti-Hero, Anxiety Attacks, Bad Guys Made Them Do It, Blood and Torture, Bondage, Cock Rings, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daddy Kink, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Consent, Family Bonding, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, Help, Hurt/Comfort, Light Bondage, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Morning Sex, Multi, Mutant Powers, Mutants, Naked Cuddling, Older Man/Younger Man, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Brainwashing, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Torture, Praise Kink, Rebuilding, Romantic Fluff, Safe Sane and Consensual, Size Kink, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smutty, Spanking, Stubborn, Stubborn Dwarves, Tags Are Hard, Tags Contain Spoilers, Team Bonding, Threesome - M/M/M, Torture, Vibrators
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-01-20 23:23:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 195,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12444180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalenMarek227/pseuds/GalenMarek227
Summary: Thomas Byron, an eighteen year old who possesses a rare collection of meta human (Mutant) powers has been kidnapped and forced into Talon. When a raid on a Talon base by Overwatch frees him Thomas is unwillingly thrust into a new world that was never open to him before.(Also known as the story that was supposed to be a smutty story about an O.C. I thought up but then got plot and now I'm invested in the character.)





	1. Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's pronounced, Thomas Byron. Thomas, Bye Ren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter, bit of a slog but has a lot of character introduction. One of my first writes so be forgiving. It picks up in later chapters. Thanks for reading.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Good, go left and clear out the patrol"

"Got it sir." Thomas leapt forward off the edge of the building and fell several feet before grabbing a piece of what was once a flag pole on the side of the building. He held onto it for a moment before releasing his grip and plunging into the darkness cast by the building. For several minutes nothing happened and the patrol continued onwards. The group of raiders were laughing and joking, until an arrow slammed into one of their heads, spraying blood outwards. The man fell forward, dead already. The remaining five took up firing positions and fired from where the arrow came from, the light of their ballistic rifles revealing the now empty alleyway. They began firing wildly and without care into the buildings until another silver arrow hit the throat of a woman. She grabbed the arrow and stumbled backwards, loudly gurgling. Thomas seemingly materialized from the second story window, bringing his sword down and cleaving the head of another man. Before the others could react Thomas brought up a pistol with a silencer and fired twice into another man. The final women brought up her comlink to her mouth to speak into it when two bullets found a home in her head. Thomas looked around briefly before crushing the fallen woman's comlink under his boot. He quickly dashed into the shadows, again disappearing and began climbing the building, jumping from hand hold to handhold before pulling himself over the edge next to the Talon official who was judging his performance. For several moments both remained silent, viewing the large husk of a city. Fire damage danced up the buildings and gave way to cracks and ugly bruises through the city. Several buildings had been bomb shelled and many more were nothing but burnt rubble. The colors of dusk danced across the city and man made light grew steadily brighter as the sun lurched away, slowing sweeping its warm glow from the ruins. Finally Thomas spoke 

"So, how was that?"

"Why did you use your sword? You did not have to. They called reinforcements while you were playing with it."

"You always tell me I need to stay in practice because of the sword bearing omnics, that was practice."

"That wasn't the mission."

"Our mission was and I quote 'destroy patrols and supplies in the area.' I was just practicing like you said."

"You should have ran that by me before."

"It was really more spur of the moment decision sir. Besides, the final result was the same. Now I have more targets. Missions efficiency has increased." He pointed down at the half dozen soldiers who had appeared and were examining the corpses. "They are now in the perfect firing position.' The Talon leader sighed and hit his comlink, ordering the soldiers to withdraw from the area.

"What are you doing sir?" Thomas stood up and was promptly smacked in the face by the Talon official.

"You do as you are told, no more, no less. If you don't remember that than I'm sure we can make you." The man thumbed the switched on his comlink, ready to press it at a moments notice. If he hit and held that button it would slowly buildup more electricity in Thomas's brain before finally exploding and killing him. It would be a very painful way to die that could only be released before the man held down the button for a minute. Any longer and nothing would stop it from imploding in Thomas's skull. Thomas glared at the man and considered if he could slow time enough to cut off the mans head, or fingers or hand or any appendage between his hand and head. The official raised his right eyebrow and pushed the button, causing electricity and pressure to build up, instantly bringing the young man to his knees and forcing him to grip his head to try and alleviate the pain in some way. The official leaned over the writhing man and smiled.

"One minute, or now more like forty seconds and all you ever were is a corpse on the ground." He pulled his finger away from the button and just like that the pain stopped, leaving nothing but a powerful headache in place of the pain and Thomas laying in the snow gasping as the pain receded.

"And remember, if any of the people with this button were to die, you go with them. Just food for thought." The man turned and walked back to the transport and stood there watching Thomas slowly get to his feet.

"Sometime today Mr. Byron I don't have all day to wait for you to walk over here." Thomas got to his feet and stumbled over. The man didn't even blink and hit another button, signalling that the transport could take off. "Maybe if you follow orders next time you could be closer to the freedom you long for. And since you didn't follow orders this doesn't count towards your little 'freedom mission chart' You still have over thirty missions before we take that chip out of your head." Thomas sighed and sat down in the uncomfortable seat, taking a book from his bag and reading quietly while his 'instructor' typed information into his tablet. The ride to the Talon base was uneventful as ever and night steadily encroached on day, sweeping its dark and cold embrace over anything it could. Without the sun the chill slowly built in the transport which had no heating or cooling. This time the instructor only lectured Thomas twice on why he was in Talon. About how Talon gave him direction and purpose and how killing bandits and thugs was better than anything else Thomas could ever do by himself. Thomas mostly ignored the man and read his book. After maybe twenty minutes of flying the transport landed at the main base and Thomas shouldered his bag, stepping out onto the snow covered tarmac and heading back to his quarters. The base itself was an old fortress from some old war when Germany was still the Holy Roman Empire and had since been restored by Talon with modern metals and different technological upgrades. The center tower was surrounded by seven other smaller towers in a full circle with large metal platforms jutting out, holding up supplies or artillery positions and the central tower had the helipad connected to it. Thomas quickly made his way into the large stone tower and stepped down the wide stone steps, going past several soldiers who stepped out of his way. That always gave him a little warm feeling when someone showed him they feared him. The feeling that he could in fact kill them at any moment with little repercussion was a power high that had corrupted many people throughout history. While normally it sickened Thomas just how much power Talon gave him while still making him completely helpless to there whims but now it made him feel a little better to at least control something in his life. Stepping out of the tower and into the snow Thomas paused, waiting for a gust of snow to die down before stepping out into the cold. It was piercing and stabbed through Thomas's jacket and pants, leeching his warmth away and grabbing at him.

"I hate this part."Thomas said to himself. The walk to his quarters was blissfully short, the grass was in a state of permafrost and made the ground slippery at all times. The moon overhead barely illuminated anything, a scant handful of beams penetrated the thick cloud cover. The main sources of light were harsh flashlights and glowing lamps scattered along the walls and people patrolling. He slipped into a tower and he entered the room, locking the door behind him and tossing the bag on his desk before collapsing on his bed. Locking the door did nothing. If someone wanted in they could just walk in. It made Thomas feel somewhat better though. Not for the first time he just lay on the bed, the constant itch that the chip in his neck gave him as nagging as ever. He felt horrible, and his mouth was dry. For a moment he considered busting into a stashed bottle of 'Rectified Spirit' he had taken from a store in the ruins of some German town. It had once been inhabited, but ruins were all that remained. The liquor store was left mostly alone. While he considered it tiredness claimed him. He hadn't slept in two days.

Several hours later.

A thunderous boom sounded somewhere nearby, dust and stone fragments falling in thick waves from the ceiling. Thomas blinked away the sleep from his eyes and pushed himself off the bed, looking around the pitch black room. Bright lights flared outside and brought brief light into the room. He grabbed his phone and jacket, opening up the door while still putting on the jacket. An explosion hit the courtyard in front of me and sent Thomas flying backwards, thankfully on the bed. The stone structure shuddered madly under the strain of the firefight. Thomas grabbed a ring and the other two personal items that still meant anything to him, making sure they would be on his person. He couldn't bare the thought of losing the ring. Or the pictures. Running back into the courtyard Thomas jumped from stone to stone, pulling himself up the large stone structure. It was easy, though the stones were cold and after just a few seconds of climbing Thomas's fingers already began to hurt.

'Gloves would be lovely right now.' Thomas thought to himself. Reaching the coned top of the tower Thomas looked around. Bright lights and loud booms of explosions and gunshots resounded everywhere. Brights streak of light appeared in the sky and Talon operatives scrambled out of the way as laser volleys scoured the structure. Some Talon operatives were held up in the forest and others found small pockets to hide in and take cover from the attacking soldiers. Thomas's wrist comlink sounded and he looked at it, seeing the instructor was ordering him to the helipad. Thomas looked around for the helipad and began to climb down, careful of the very real possibility that he would fall to his death. Reaching a point that Thomas was confident he reach he leapt from the tower, grabbing onto a windowsill and hoisting himself into the room. Large cables and dozens of old computers buzzed in the room, and Thomas got up and made his way up the stairs. He opened the door, letting it swing shut behind him. The instructor, a deceptively handsome man with a soothing voice smiled widely at Thomas.

"Very good wraith. Your mission is to kill these Overwatch agents and to force them to retreat from the base while we get all the... important items out of the base." Thomas blinked.

"Wait, Overwatch? You never said I would be fighting them. You said bandits and criminals, not peacekeepers." He frowned at Thomas and hit that damned button, forcing him to his knees as Thomas grabbed his skull.

"You do what I say! When I say it! I don't care if its your own mother you do WHAT I SAY!" He pulled his fingers away from the comlink, causing the pain to stop just like that. The man's blood boiled. This damn boy was nothing but a problem.

"Now go and do as I say or I'm doing it again." Thomas tried to rise to his feet, falling back onto his knee and gasping out. His equilibrium is all screwed up now.

"GET UP!" The instructor kicked Thomas in the ribs, knocking him on his side and kicking out whatever oxygen he still had.

"You useless boy. I knew I should have done this a long time ago, but the high ups wanted you on our side. It's clear you won't be what they want though. And we aren't going to let you go to Overwatch." He pushed the button and the pain returned, surging through Thomas.

"Like they would ever want someone so pathetic for you." Thomas fell over into the cold snow, writhing in pain and grabbing his head, tugging at the small nub that sent electricity though his head and body. As soon as his hand touched it the pain magnified, and the pressure spiked, pushing on Thomas's brain. Thomas screamed and tried to tug on the small nub to little effect. He felt the pressure, pushing down on him. His blood felt hotter than normal, and his eyes burned. Tears flew freely and he cried out, curling up into a tight ball.

"You are going to die slowly, and I'm going to watch you the whole time it takes you to d-" Three loud bangs rang out. They were very distinct and when they hit Thomas heard people moving. He felt hands on him and a sudden spike in pressure as something touched the implant, and the pain stopped. He heard soft voices around him, and prying hands on him. The electricity was gone. He opened his right eye very slightly, glancing though the shroud of tears at the outside world. A women was leaning over him, and behind her were two men. They were both large, one wore a bright blue jumpsuit, he held an incredibly large laser rifle in his arms, it looked like it weighed as much as Thomas did. A small amount of scars, marks from combat and battle were on his face. He had a strong chin and looked very handsome. He reminded me of the instructor, who lay behind him with three holes in his chest, bits of bone exposed by the devastating effect of the rifle rounds. The second man had what looked like a cowboy attire on. He had a thick beard on his cheeks, chin and lips. He had large green eyes that scanned the surrounding, alternating between surveying the surroundings and glancing at Thomas. Thomas tried to move his mouth, but nothing was responding. Movement dragged his attention onto a women. He recognized her as Angela Ziegler, the famous Swiss... Thomas actually didn't remember what exactly she was, but she was famous for it. She saw his eye was open and she spoke to Thomas, but Thomas heard nothing. Nothing was responding, he could barely see, he couldn't hear. She kept speaking, but when Thomas didn't respond she looked back at the blue coat man.

"He's unresponsive Jack. I think he's conscious though." Jack nodded. He wish the man he shot was still alive, interrogating him would reveal a lot, but at least they had saved the kid. Angela had managed to disable the device in his neck, and cut out a kill code in it.

"Take him with us." Angela nodded and reached into a bag. She took out an extendable stretcher, extending it and activating its repulsorlifts. Jesse leaned forward, as did Jack and lifted the boy. He was incredibly light, but as soon as they lifted him Thomas pushed away from them, letting out a terrified shout. He pushed away from them, surprising all three. Thomas slipped on the roof scrambling away from the people. He slipped off the edge of the building, not realizing how close he was to the edge.

"Wait!" But Thomas already went over the edge. His body was sluggish, and he barely grabbed a empty stone slot. He dangled from there, and heard from above Angela Ziegler say.

"Stay there." But Thomas wouldn't. He swung and pushed off, landing on another building that was only about ten feet away. He miss timed it and Thomas's jaw smacked against the roof and a loose piece of metal cut into Thomas's cheek. Thomas got his upper torso on the building, and his lower half dangled four stories off the ground. Thomas clutched at the buildings roof, but he found little purchase there. His numb fingers slid down the snowy bricks and he fell. Thomas closed his eyes and prepared for impact. It still hurt, but somehow he wasn't dead. Thomas opened his eyes, and looked around. He felt the ground, and it was soft, almost plush. He felt it again, looking around for an explanation. He sat up, and saw beneath him a large patch of blue under the snow. He looked at the wall, and saw four ropes to the roof.

'The wall climbing training zone.' Thomas thought. The mats had saved him. Sparing no extra time he sat up and got to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall. Thomas grabbed a his gun from his holster. He just wanted to go. He was free. The instructor was dead Thomas could go free. He stumbled to a door, opening it and entering the inside of the wall. He entered, stepping in and falling against a table. Feeling returned slowly, but pain was quick to return. He heard a footstep and turned around, bringing his gun up to point at another woman. This one had pretty black hair and green eyes. Her features were strong and she looked very attractive. The gun shook uncontrollably and Thomas used his other hand to steady it. He leaned against the table. The women raised both her hands.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you." She had an amazing voice. It seemed familiar, but Thomas did not think of this to much. He couldn't.

"I-I don't want to shoot you. L-l-let me go, and you can go." His voice stuttered and sounded unsure of itself. The pain was magnifying, and a migraine was setting in.

"That's okay. We just want to help you." Thomas shook his head.

"No-NO! Just let me go." The women's face softened.

"We aren't Talon. We took that off your neck." Thomas shook his head. He noticed the door and glanced at it. Ana saw him do this. She had a sleep dart loaded, and if the young man in front of her tried to run she would use it. He was terrified. That much was apparent. He hand chestnut brown hair that grew in a thick and shaggy patch on his head. He had no facial hair, but she saw blood leaked openly from a large cut on his face. He had strong features, and a sharp jaw line. He had strong cheeks bones, and his clothes hung from his body. The young man had bright hazel green eyes, and his skin was pale. He was about five and a half feet tall.

Ana knew that Jack and Angela wanted him alive. The boy jumped, throwing himself at the exit. Ana was quicker, pulling her own dart gun and nailing the young man's body. Thomas thudded to the ground and Ana rushed around the corner, careful to make sure the boy wouldn't shoot her as she turned the corner. The boy lay in a pile on the ground, he looked fearfully at Ana. The look of pure terror in his eyes hurt Ana. She stepped forward and collected his gun. She sat down next to the young man, who stared at her. She shushed him and whispered just loud enough she believed he could hear.

"It's okay. You're going to be alright." He fought desperately to keep his eyes open. but she saw they fluttered shut, and his breathing steadied. Ana ran her hand through his hair to comfort him and smiled. Ana turned on her comlink to report her success. She intended to keep her promise to the young man, but she needed to get Angela down here.

Two days later.

It had taken the young man two days to fully awake. When he had he found himself in an octangular room, with no obvious door or windows. He had a pair of handcuffs on, which were stuck to the table. He pulled at them, but they didn't budge. Thomas felt so much better now. He was hungry, and tired. He wanted to sleep, but refused the feeling. He remembered the women and men, and what happened. Luckily in front of him in a small plastic box were the three items he cared the most about. A ring and two photos. Thomas decided he didn't like the handcuffs, and decided to play one of his cards. He focused hard on his hand for several seconds and smiled. In his hand was a small hammer. It was about a foot long and looked like a forge hammer, or a claw hammer. He had been able to do that for four years now, and with a little practice it had become almost easy for him to do it. Of course if he lost concentration it disappeared. It was indescribable, and Talon was obsessed with him because of it and the fact he could do the same things with a bow and arrows. He used the hammer to fiddle with the handcuffs, twisting at it. The clawed part scraped against the connection from the handcuffs to the table, the sound grading and piercing. Like silver on nice plates. Or nails on chalk. Thomas continued picking at it, until he heard a click. He smiled, and tugged, but the handcuffs held firm. The wall to his right opened, and in came three people. The first of which he recognized as the handsome man with the blue overcoat. It took him a minute abut he realized it was Jack Morrison, the strike commander of Overwatch.

'Oh I fucked up now.' Thomas thought. The second was Angela Ziegler, and the third was the women that had shot him. After a moment a fourth entered, this one Thomas didn't recognize. He wore a beanie and had numerous scars of his own. He looked the most muscular, and his face was set in a frown. Thomas looked at them, letting the hammer slip out of existence. Behind the last man was another women, who peered into the room, a gun drawn. These people were evidently important. Thomas looked around, glancing at each of the cameras into the room, noticing they were no longer moving.

'They must be turned off.' Thomas realized. That was bad. If Overwatch turned off the cameras, Thomas foresaw... aggressive negotiations.

Gabriel watched the kid squirm a little in the seat. He was young, and stitches lined his chin. His hair was a mess of tangles and he looked exhausted. Besides that, he still looked alert. His eyes scanned them, darting between the open door, the cameras and each person. He was however dead still in the chair, and his attempts to escape were forgotten. Ana took a seat across from him, and Angela opened a small binder. The door slid shut, and though Gabriel could not see he knew the visor screen was blacked out. Gabriel knew that Jack had no intentions of letting the boy go to jail. Jack and Ana wanted the boy in Overwatch, if nothing else so he wouldn't rot away before his life had even begun. No one said anything, Angela adjusted the papers in the binder, Ana stared directly at the boy and Jack looked from Gabriel to the boy and to Angela.

Thomas felt himself squirm in his seat. The woman in front of him with the black hair was staring directly at him, her eyes placid and revealing nothing. After Angela finished adjusting the papers she sat down as well, setting the closed binder on the table.

"Okay." Angela said. "Let's start simple. What is your name." Thomas didn't answer at first, but did after a moment.

"Thomas Byron." Angela nodded, opening the binder and writing it down on a sheet of paper. She noticed how quiet he was. The name had been barely audible. Though she also knew that it could be a ruse.

"Thank you very much. And how old are you?" There was another pause before he spoke again.

"I'm eighteen." Ana frowned. He was so young. Ana glanced at the different scars and marks on him face and arms. He had clearly been through combat.

"Thank you." It continued like that for almost an hour, simple questions that steadily got more complex, and answers that were brief but comprehensive. Once she was done with the basic questions on both Thomas and Talon she organized the papers again and rose, leaving without another word. Thomas looked at her as she left, glancing between her and the other still arrayed at the table. Thomas shifted again, squirming under there combined gazes.

"So." Said Thomas. "What now? I don't suppose that I get to go free on house arrest and a promise not to raise a gun or sword against another human omnic or animal?" He chuckled quietly, but it fell away when no one else even smiled. Jack spoke next.

"Not quite. Talon is a major terrorist organization. And you were captured during a raid, in a building, holding over one hundred twenty two million dollars worth of guns, military grade explosives and ammunition. That's what, twenty years to life just for association. Then put in any people you've killed and, a few other factors, and it wouldn't be hard to put you away for the rest of your life. Before it even begins." Thomas scowled at the man. He was so fucking smug, and Thomas just wanted to kill him.

"Of course. We have special contracts for people like you. And given your special gifts, you can turn around and do something good, for Overwatch. Or more correctly Blackwatch." Thomas's scowl disappeared and he smirked.

"You said a contract? You have a pen?" Jack smiled and took the paper that Angela had left behind, and a pen. Thomas took both and leaned back in the chair, reading the contract. He didn't move after that. He just stay still. Seemingly reading the contract. After almost half an hour he spoke again.

"Okay." And everyone focused back in. "I read the contract, and there's a big problem. I don't sign anything without my lawyer present." And he flicked the pen at Jack, who let it bounce off his coat. The pen was still activated however, and it left a long black strike down his coat, running from his shoulder to nearly his stomach in a blotchy line. Jack scowled and Ana tensed. She knew Jack wouldn't do anything, but Gabriel was less likely to be peaceful in face of this. Thomas smirked and leaned back.

"Yeah, I think a change of scenery is best for me. Plus, I'm not to fond of going from working from one place to doing the same thing in another. Maybe prison would be a nice change of pace. Three meals, courtyard. Easy to leave." Thomas nodded.

"Yeah, that's my choice." Jack ran his hand over his face. Gabriel glared at the boy and Ana remained passive, her face unchanging. Gabe spoke next.

"You do realize that we aren't joking kid or not we will put you away. Or put you down." Thomas leaned forward, matching the glare.

"No you won't. If you were going to kill me you would already. And if you wanted me in prison I would have woken up there. Besides, you don't have the balls to kill me scruffy." Gabriel growled, low and deep and stopped leaning on the table. Thomas smiled, taking his retreat as surrender.

"There you go. Now if you don't mind I have an appointment to keep. Which prison am I going to?" Ana smiled an spoke.

"Actually young man, you're already here. I do hope you enjoy it." She rose from her chair. A look of surprise overtook Thomas's face.

"Well, you've made your decision. Who are we to begrudge the decision of a fully grown and independent young man. Jack, Gabe, he's made his choice. Let's go." She began walking to the door, tailed by Gabe and after a moment Jack. Thomas looked from person to person, alarm growing in him.

"Wait! Here?! What am I going to do here?" Ana shrugged her shoulders.

"You're clearly smart, I'm sure you'll figure it out somehow." And she left through the doorway, tailed by Jack and Gabriel.

"Wait! Fuckers!" Thomas called, tugging against the handcuffs. As soon as the door closed he noticed the cameras kicked on. Thomas summoned his claw hammer and began furiously picking at the handcuffs and swearing loudly. From the other side of the door Ana and the two men heard Thomas swearing loudly.

"So, what now?" Ana smiled sadly.

"We let him stew for a while, and then I will talk to him. Alone. And he will sign, of his own choice." The two men nodded, and the three set off for the paperwork that still afflicted them.

Twelve hours later.

"Hello Thomas." Ana stepped into the room, holding a small tray with two cups of tea on it. Steam wafted free from both cups. Thomas glared at the woman, but when she sat down he accepted the cup of tea. Ana pushed a button, and the lock connected the stiff metal handcuffs to the table disengaged with a beep. Thomas lifted his hands up, even though they were still locked in place by the stiff metal of the handcuffs at least he could move. Thomas reached up and scratched his nose, accepting a cup of tea from Ana. He took a deep sip of it, draining half of the cup within seconds. Ana smirked as he lowered the cup. Thomas held the tea cup by its handle, his pinky finger disconnected from the rest. He said nothing as he set the cup down, looking directly at Ana.

"So how has day one of prison felt?" Thomas scowled at her.

"Better than day one in Overwatch." He responded. Ana's lip twitched a little.

"Why is that?" She asked, taking a sip of her own tea. She was curious to why he was so against Overwatch.

"Because i'm tired of doing this. I have been through so many different hells at this point, been dragged from one part of life to another that I'm done with it. I will rot away before being forced into another by some bureaucratic assholes and some fucking paperwork!" He downed the last of the tea, setting the cup down and returned the handcuffs to the lock spot.

"I'm done with it. Have a good day." He was seething with anger, and Ana recognized when a teenager was being to stubborn to talk to. She had raised two of her own teenagers already, she could get through another teen simply enough.

"Okay." And Ana collected her items and left, just like that. Not an hour later Jack returned. He immediately disengaged the locks on the handcuffs and the connecting lock to the table. Thomas looked from him to the lock and back again.

"Kid you are not going to rot here. So here's what we're going to do. You seem to respect strength and hate me. Lets fight. I win, you join Overwatch. You win, you go free. Deal?" Thomas stood up, keeping the table between the two of them.

"You know what, sure." Jack nodded.

"No weapons." And like that Jack closed the distance, immediately clearing the table and chairs and pushing a surprised Thomas over. Thomas grabbed his arm, pulling forward to try and flip him. But Jack planted his feet, flipping Thomas over as he landed on the table. Thomas rolled off the table, falling under and scooting out of Jacks grip. Thomas rolled again, dodging Jack's attempts to grab his leg. When Jack jumped over the table Thomas reached up and landed a good punch against Jack's chin. Jack stumbled and Thomas swung his leg out, trying to knock the man off his feet. His leg connected to Jacks, and did nothing. Jacks grabbed Thomas's shoulders, hoisting him up by his dirty shirt. Thomas kicked again, landing his hit on Jack's ribs. Jack grunted and took one more punch to the cheek before pinning Thomas against the table. Thomas thrashed wildly as he was held down. Jack smiled and Thomas lashed out with another kick. Jack grabbed his leg, lifting it into an awkward position. Thomas was like a pretzel on the table, and Jack pushed down with his knee, pressing Thomas's arms to keep them pinned.

"And, that is game. Unless you felt like continuing." Jacks pushed Thomas leg, and pain spouted up from he. Thomas gasped in pain and tapped the table three times, surrendering. Jack let go of Thomas legs, but held the boys arms. Thomas breathed heavily, letting his head rest against the cool metal table.

"Fucker. You win." Thomas mumbled. Jack smiled and removed his knee. Thomas drew in his hands, rubbing them gently. Jack left just like that and Thomas let himself sink back into a seat. Jack was quick to return, and Thomas signed the damn paper.

One hour later.

The door opened again and Thomas looked up, seeing a man in cowboy attire with a scruffy looking beard and cowboy hat. Thomas recognized the cowboy from when Overwatch first grabbed him.

"What? Came to gloat that I lost? Or are you looking for the Johnny Cash convention?" Jesse smiled. The young man in front of him looked horrible, but Jesse liked that he was still full of spit and vigor.

"No, I actually came to help." He brandished a small medkit and a bottle of water, along with a small bag.

"I'm fine." Thomas glared at the man. He was still pissed he had lost and Jesse could tell. He had been watching Thomas the last day, sort of like security. Just not officially security. Jesse technically wasn't supposed to be with prisoners.

"I know you are." He came forward and took a seat. "I'm still gonna help you." He took a water bottle and handed it to Thomas.

"Thirsty?" Thomas took the water bottle with a small mumbled thanks and drank it, quickly draining it of its contents.

"Your stitches split." Thomas ran his hand over the wound and felt the jagged flesh against his fingers. He also felt the warm liquid which drained from the wound.

"I'll be fine." Said Thomas, running his fingers over the wound.

"Well, you can sit there and do what you want, I'm going to clean up your wounds. Now stay still and let me or I'm gonna tie you up and do it anyway." Thomas glared at the him but sighed.

"Go ahead." The man smiled and took a piece of fabric from the kit before putting some water on it. He wiped at the blood on Thomas's chin, gently scrubbing away at it and pausing whenever Thomas hissed or recoiled in pain. After putting the stained rag back into the case he rummaged through it. 

"Why are you helping me?" Thomas asked. He was genuinely curious. After Jack had left some time ago with Thomas's freedom on a piece of paper Thomas had just stay still in the chair.

"Because you need help."

"Hmph." Went Thomas, not totally believing the man. He continued with his wok, skillfully fixing Thomas's face within minutes.

"Thanks." Said Thomas. He reached up and felt along the now stitched line. It barely hurt, and the jagged edges of the wound were now smooth. Smoother at least.

"You're welcome. And don't pick at it or I'll tie you up anyway." He smirked as he cut off the thread and put the dirty needle in a small bag, but Thomas had the distinct feeling he wasn't joking. Jesse then reached in the larger bag and pulled out a sandwich, half wrapped in plastic.

"Want one?" Thomas stared at it, and for a moment considered refusing. But his stomach gurgled, giving away his true position. Thomas took it from him and unwrapped it, quickly taking a large bite from it. He barely finished chewing when he took a second bite. The sandwich was already half gone with just the two bites. Thomas swallowed and took a third bite of it, chewing loudly even though his mouth was closed. Thomas shoved the last of the sandwich into his mouth. It wasn't that the sandwich was particularly delicious, or even abnormally tasty, more so that it was food, and Thomas hadn't eaten anything in at least three days. Thomas looked at Jesse, suddenly remembering that he wasn't alone in the room.

"Want another one?" Thomas nodded as he swallowed the last of the first sandwich. Jesse handed him sandwich, this one another peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Thomas bit into it as soon as he could unwrap it.

After watching half the second sandwich disappear in less than five seconds Jesse thought to himself: 'Wow, I do not think I have ever seen food disappear that quickly. And I've seen a time traveler in an eating contest.' Instead of this, Jesse said:

"I'm sorry I didn't bring more."

"It's fine, I'm just happy to eat something." And it was true. As Jesse watched the skinny young man down the last of the second sandwich he shared a private thought with himself.

'I think I'm going to like our newest stray.'

After that Jesse left to dispose of the used medical equipment, and less than a minute later Jack returned, ready to lead Thomas to his room, and somewhat symbolically, to his new life.

Twenty hours later.

Thud thud thud. Another series of knocks sounded as Jack waited outside the door of Thomas's new room, knocking a final time after several seconds. The cold air lay in the base, lazily drifting around the ground. For the thousandth time Jack cursed these tall ceilings. In winter all the warm air raised to the ceilings and leaked out into the world whilst the cold are drifted to the ground. More than once Jack had found someone staring at a little plume of dust spinning madly on the ground, created by hot and cold air rising and lowering before creating a little tornado on the ground. Several more seconds passed before Jack simply hit the command code for the door, watching it slide open. Light flooded into the room and onto the sleeping form of Overwatch's newest adoption. Jack stepped into the room, watching more dust fly around the room at the movements. Thomas was still asleep on the bed, face down and breathing slowly on the old sheets. Thomas still wore his somewhat tattered clothes from Talon, and they hung from his body. His arms were muscular, but still were small. The kid was fairly tall, but lanky and if anything he looked malnourished. He was still asleep after twenty hours. On one hand he hadn't slept in two days, on the other it somewhat surprised him the boy even needed sleep. Most people his age had all the energy they ever needed. Jack shook his shoulders, gently rousing him from his sleep. Usually he would just shout at the sleeping person, but he decided to be merciful on the boy. Thomas groaned and opened one eye before closing it again.

"What do you want?" He spoke slowly and deliberately.

"We have a mission in two hours."

"A mission? So soon? Don't you have tests to run on me. Things to figure out?" He shifted, extending his legs out and stretching on the bed.

"No. Well, yes, but all in good time. For now we're short handed, and I'm going. And there is no way I'm leaving you on base without me."

"I'm not a kid, I don't need a protector."

"I'm more worried about the others than you." Thomas grinned. Jack wasn't wrong. Thomas still planned on bolting at the first chance he got, maybe this would be his chance.

"Fine." Thomas put his hands in front of him and pushed up from the bed. "So where are we going?" He raised his hands above his head and stretched and several pops sounded out.

"A small French village that had been attacked recently needs food and materials, we are going to help them."

"Right, so why did you wake me two hours before the mission?" He walked over to the bathroom and stepped in, flipping on the lights as he passed.

"You need to eat and shower first don't you?" 

"Unless I smell I don't shower before missions, and I don't eat before either." He shook his head and rubbed sleep from his eyes, looking around the room until he saw the door to the bathroom. Good part about being in one of Overwatchs main bases was most rooms had private bathrooms and showers.

"You went on missions looking like you just got out of bed?"

"If it went well the enemy would never even see me. Besides, it's not like warm showers are a part of the Talon experience." Jack opened his mouth to say something, but decided not to, closing it again and watching as Thomaas disappeared into the bathroom. The door slid shut a moment later after he entered.

"Well get showered and dressed, you don't need armor or weapons. So don't bring any. Meet me in thirty minutes at the landing pad, we need to load up the supplies."

"Got it." The shower turned on in the bathroom.

"I do suggest you eat before we leave."

"Okay."

35 minutes later, third person POV

"You sure you got it? It's heavy."

"I can hold it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure Reinhardt, now let go of the fucking bundle. If we take much longer I'm gonna be as old as you by the time we finish." Reinhardt raised his eyebrow before releasing the heavy bundle of fabric. Thomas buckled slightly under the weight, taking a moment to readjust it before setting off towards the transport. He trudged slowly through the thin layer of snow towards the transport. Every several steps he paused and readjusted the weight before setting off again. Ana approached Reinhardt from the main building, watching the young man walk.

"Reinhardt, what are you doing? We both know that that package is too heavy for him."

"I'm testing something Ana, I'm curious whether he will ask for help or not."

"It seems like he won't, when do you think he will?"

"Well, that is the eighth package, and the second was when I thought it would be to heavy."

"Ahh, and Jack, he is in on it?"

"And Gabriel, no one is to help him unless he clearly asks for it."

"And you hope to what?"

"It's never to late to teach a young man a lesson. He also could use a little lesson on respect." A powerful gust of wind swung through the air, and for a brief moment Thomas looked like he may fall to a breeze.

"It was a joke."

"It was disrespectful."

"Okay grandpa." Reinhardt looked crossly at Ana before returning his attention to Thomas, who was arguing with Jack and Gabriel loudly.

"Just a little higher."

"I'm not that tall, your telling me you can't reach it at all?"

"It's close, but we need you to push it a little higher" It was actually well within both Jack's and Gabriel's reach, but they had been forcing Thomas to push it higher and higher above him until he would be forced to ask for help.

"Fine, be ready to grab it." Thomas readjusted it and pushed up, his arms stretched high above him, holding the heavy parcel as high as he could. Even from over a dozen feet away the two could see his arms shaking from the stress of holding up the package. Jack grabbed it and with Gabriel's help hoisted the package up into the transport. Ana sighed.

"You three are just trying to make this difficult for him aren't you?"

"We do this to all our stray recruits, he will ask for help and learn its okay to, or he will do all this by himself."

"Can't this wait at all? It is his first day and you are making it very difficult for him."

"Hold that thought Ana." Thomas had returned to Reinhardt. A thin layer of sweat had already collected on his forehead. "Okay, here's another one."

"Got it."

"You sure, you seemed to have some difficulty on the last one."

"Just trying to get it up to the others."

"You sure"?

"Yes. I am sure." Reinhardt chuckled a little.

"Okay." He released the newest package and Thomas strained as it weighed down on him, pushing back up on it a few seconds later and walking slowly to Jack and Gabriel. Reinhardt smiled at him as we watched the young man trudge along.

"Are you sure its a good idea to get a profile on him on his first day?"

"The sooner we do it, the more accurate."

"Still, we don't even have a proper mental profile on him. It doesn't seem a good idea to push him." Thomas reached the front of the transport, going through the same process of hoisting up the heavy package. it was larger than he was and even from here Ana and Reinhardt could see his arms and legs trembling as he held up the container.

"Come on Thomas, a little higher."

"I can't go any higher boss. You're gonna have to reach for it."

"It's harder to pull it up than push it up, a little higher. Unless you need Reinhardt's help."

"I need you to take this thing." Thomas shifted his view on the package, seeing how close he was to the edge of the transport. his hands ached and burned from the effort of holding up the package. What was in them he didn't know, but it was heavy. He could see the package was not three inches away from the edge of the transport. "Come on boss, you can make that."

"It's not close enough."

"Your telling me you and captain long arms up there can't reach three inches over the edge to grab this thing?!" Gabriel scoffed.

"Hey, your talking to superiors up here, address us with respect."

"I called you captain didn't I?"

"Real respect boy." Thomas didn't speak at all, just continuing to hold up the heavy package. His muscles ached from the strain of holding it in this position. Ana stepped forward to help him but Reinhardt put his hand in front of her.

"Reinhardt, look at him."

"I know, but this is important." Thomas was clearly struggling to hold the container up.

"You have to take this, I can't hold it much longer."

"You have to push it a little farther Thomas."

"I can't sir, it's slipping." Gabriel sighed.

"Some recruit, come on boy, is that the best you can do?" Thomas's left knee buckled, forcing hin onto the ground. The package leaned with him, yawing violently and falling over onto its side and onto the ground. As it fell the corner of the cubical box cut Thomas's arm, slashing from the base of his wrist down the arm itself. He shouted out and stepped back, grabbing the injured limb.

"Son of A Bitch! Why didn't you grab the damn package!?" 

"It's fine Thomas, just grab it and we'll help you." Jack jumped down from the top of the loading area onto the snowy tarmac below, a gentle crunch sounding under him. Thomas took a step back, still clutching his arm. Warm blood flowed freely from the wound and in between his fingers.

"I don't need your help, I need you to do your job without giving me shit!" Gabriel landed next to Jack.

"Hey, watch your tone, you're talking to commanding officers."

"Apparently commanding officers who are incapable of using there arms!" Gabriel frowned at Thomas and Jack put his hand on Gabe's shoulder.

"It's okay Thomas, you did well."

"Don't baby him Jack. He's never going to be good for anything if you do. And he's a recruit.." Thomas looked up at Gabriel. Ana and Reinhardt quickly began to make there way to the confrontation.

"Screw you!" 

"Recruit, you are speaking to a superior officer! You will address us as such!"

"Just cuz you have some shiny medal doesn't mean you're better than me!" Gabriel took a step forward towards Thomas, who stepped back and slipped. He hit the ground with an audible thud. Gabriel laughed and taunted him while Ana came up and grabbed Thomas's not injured arm. He tugged out of her grip and got up, storming off towards the base. Arguing immediately broke out between Jack, Gabriel and Reinhardt.

Ana followed Thomas inside, tracking a small trail of blood droplets to a bathroom. She opened the door into the men's rooms, noticing Thomas dabbing at the wound and running it under warm water. He saw her in the mirrors reflection and spared a glare at her before returning to his arm. She stepped forward, well aware that she didn't know this young man. She stepped close enough to look at the angry cut. It was jagged, and certainly looked painful, Thomas glanced at her and spoke.

"If you're just going to stare then go." He was angry, and Ana let a line set on her forehead.

"If you don't want me to help." Thomas hissed in pain, retracting his arm and slamming a fist on the sink.

:Fine." He barked at her. She didn't move until an almost inaudible please sounded out. Ana stepped forward, tending to the wound in a much less painful manner.

"You know what Ana, I think you're one of the most unique people I've ever met." Ana didn't respond, but readied herself. If the boy tried anything, it would not end well for him. She didn't want to hurt him, but she had a family to take care of. Thomas continued after a moment.

"You managed to shoot me, even if it was an easy shot it's been a long time since I've been shot. I don't understand why you couldn't have just missed." His voice drained of anger, and replaced by sorrow he continued.

"I didn't think I could ever resent, and respect someone at the same time." Ana again didn't respond, continuing to clean the wound. But inside, she felt a smile grow.

3 hours later. Thomas POV

The wind wound through the tree tops and around the scant underbrush. Snow coated the trees and ground, but this one comfortable branch had been spared the worst of the snows attention. The branch was very large, large enough to comfortably sit on or even lay on. The tree must have been very very old and the leaves had since mostly abandoned it in the early winter. Ana had dismissed Thomas to the med bay, but he had gone here instead. He didn't want to explain the injury. He liked it, just sitting in trees when he was upset, or wanted to be alone. Thomas loved the woods, the forest, the snow. He loved animals and plants, and enjoyed time away from people and omnics, just alone. It wasn't to last. A distant crunching sounded through the mostly silent woods. Probably some unrelated person. Thomas hoped at least, but he knew it wasn't. The footsteps continued closer to the large oak tree, stopping below it a moment later.

"Thomas, what are you doing up there?" Thomas leaned over the edge of the tree limb, looking down at Jack. He looked really tiny from thirty feet away. He had changed out of his Overwatch uniform and was in a simple pair of pants with a buttoned up black jacket.

"Go away please." I returned to my phone and the game on it.

"Thomas, get down from there!"

"Never gonna happen boss." Thomas waited until he heard him leaving but heard nothing. After maybe two minutes a hand appeared on the limb next to Thomas. He jumped and scooted away from the hand, watching Jack hoist himself over the edge of the limb until he was sitting next to me.

"How did you? I didn't? You-"

"I'm a good climber. Now then, why are you up here?" Thomas quickly lost the confusion and looked away from Jack. Jack looked good outside his Overwatch attire, and the clothes hugged his form nicely. He was incredible muscular, and the shirt showed off his muscles. Thomas turned away from Jack, realizing his train of thought was not particularly... well it wasn't good. It was the first time anyone ever followed him into a tree, well, maybe not the first but he didn't remember anyone else doing it. 

"I like to be in places like these when I want to be Alone." Thomas hopes the message sunk in.

"And why do you want to be alone?" Thomas quickly lost any affection that built from the simple gesture.

"This isn't a therapy session, I'm not doing this. Can you please go?" Jack sighed and leaned his back on the tree trunk.

"Look, I know this is difficult. It's always difficult to move somewhere and change something that has a big impact on your life, b-"

"This isn't like moving house Jack. Why worry? You don't know me." Jack looked at me. He had really bright blue eyes. Thomas felt something strange, a little flutter almost. After a moment Jack sighed and leaned back on the tree trunk.

"Like it or not we are gonna be stuck together for a while. I brought you into Overwatch, and there is not way I'm leaving you alone with anyone else for now."

"Right, well I don't need you looking out for me. I can take care of myself." Jack smiled and looked at me, turning his head towards me.

"I know, you've very painstakingly made that clear to me."

"Yet you're still here."There was an anger to Thomas's words, but also a sadness. Jack recognized it. Gabriel had four siblings, each one a various age from ten to twenty one. Jack had become accustomed to the teenage angst stage, and as he looked at Thomas and saw the different scars and marks the were scattered along his face and arms he wondered just what the boys past was.

"And I'm still here. May I see your arm?"

"No."

"Please?" Thomas glanced at him and saw he looked... concerned. Thomas sighed and shoved his hand towards Jack. The large cut was jagged as it wove down Thomas's arm, but at least Thomas healed well. He scared easily though. 

"That is one nasty looking cut. I see why it hurt so badly." Jack ran his fingers over the cut. His hand was actually really soft and warm. I realized just how cold it was outside and tucked into my jacket a little more. He noticed and looked up at me. "You cold?"

"No."

"Want my Jacket?"

"No." He took off his jacket.

"I won't think poorly of you if you're cold."

"M'fine."

"Okay, well I'm just gonna leave this here due to a lack of better places to put it." Jack put his jacket around my shoulders and returned to examining my hand. The Jacket smelled like some sort of cologne and apple shampoo. "So why do you wear this ring?" He looked up at me, snapping me from my thoughts. He was talking about the ring I always wore on my left index finger. It was a silver ring with a ruby stone band in the center of the outside portion of the ring and Topaz band in the center on the inside of the ring. It had been my brothers and he had left it to me when he died in the aftermath of the omnic wars. He had bought it when he was 16 and I was 9 and chosen the colors since ruby was his birth stone and Topaz was mine. He had bought if for himself,  
and given it to me before he died. Said he needed me to take care of it.

"Its a nice ring, how'd you get it?"

"I bought it." I tugged my hand free from Jacks grip.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. You should get Angela to patch up your hand."

"It will be fine."

"It will scar."

"I choose the scar."

"As to what?"

"As to having to take the time of a medic or doctor because I couldn't hold a stupid container."

"That's no excuse to not go."

"It seems a valid excuse to me."

"Angela isn't judgmental, no one's going to judge you for hurting your hand."

"If I go you have to come."

"Why?"

"So when Dr. Ziegler asks me what happened I can say we were loading the transport and you slipped." Jack chuckled.

"If it's the difference of you going or not I'll do it."

"Good, so when do you want to go?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"Right, so was there even a mission?"

"No. There will be but no."

"Figures." Thomas handed him back his Jacket and immediately felt much colder. Maybe is a good idea to go inside. "Lets go then." We made our way off the cold tree limb and down the tree trunk.


	2. Thomas fist fights a mutant.

5 days later.

"So Jesse, you asked the new guy out yet?" Jesse choked on my cereal, looking up at Lena. She was smiling mischievously at him while both Genji and Hana paused eating. Jesse put his spoon back into the small bowl, the small clink it made drowned out by the loud ambient noise of the cafeteria.

"And what makes you think I intend to ask him out?" Lena leaned back her chair and shrugged.

"Well, he's been here what? A week? An we only eva see him with you or he's by his lonesome. See, he's not with you, so he's sitting at the corner table eating alone." She gestured across the loud cafeteria at Thomas, who was sitting alone. He was on his phone, either watching or reading something while he absentmindedly ate some toast. He didn't eat much some days, and others it seemed like he could eat forever. He seemed to enjoy being around Jesse, mostly talking and accepting advice from the more veteran agent.

"He just like his own company. Besides I don't see people lining up to be his friend." Lena sighed and took a bite of her own breakfast. Thomas did put people off with his personality. He was quick to pick a fight, and slow to back down.

"Do ya know what he does in his room all day?" She spoke while chewing and sent crumbs onto the steel table. Jesse shrugged and took another spoonful of his cereal. He always enjoyed Froot loops.

"He probably reads." Lena smiled.

"Well does he ever leave? I mean he eats, but I never see him in the training rooms, the showers or any of the other rooms. He can't just sit in his room all day."

"Tell ya what, why don't I go ask if he wants to sit here and eat with us and if he does you can ask him whatever." She grinned. She had been hoping he would offer. He was kind to here, mainly because she was kind to Thomas, and Lena was curious about him.

"Sure luv. That sounds great." Jesse rose from his seat, the metal chair screeching a little as it pushed against the tile floor. Making his way through the cafeteria should be easy but chairs left out in the middle of walkways and the layout of the rectangular tables made it difficult to go through it. After a moment he just began to scoot the chairs out of the way, grumbling quietly about how rude people can be. As he got closer to the mostly abandoned corner he saw Thomas had his earbuds in, and was apparently watching something.

As Jesse approached Thomas looked up and paused whatever he was watching. He had curious hazel green eyes.

"Hey Thomas." Jesse sat down next to Thomas, catching at glance at what he was watching. It was a news article about a recent omnic bombing of a military factory.

"Hello Jesse. What brings you to my corner of the cafeteria?"

"Lena." Thomas nodded and took out the second ear bud.

"I think it's time I go anyway." Jesse frowned at him.

"Aww. Come on. We really do want to talk."

"And I believe you. I just don't want to be here any longer. People are looking around at me already." Jesse brow furrowed and he looked around. Sure enough several sets of eyes glanced away, avoiding his gaze.

"People are giving you trouble?" Thomas shrugged.

"Not trouble per say. Not like in Talon. But people shove past me. 'Accidentally' knock things out of my hands. The likes. They known I'm from Talon, and they don't like it." Jesse nodded. He remembered when he first joined. It took several missions before he got any respect, and a year before people really adjusted to his presence. Now it was seven years later.

'I'm twenty six now, and all my bits and pieces are still here.' Jesse was wiser now. He knew more. He'd reconnected with his family. While Jesse though about this, he looked at Thomas. The two weren't alike. Not now, not when they joined. Thomas was withdrawn, rude to many and attentive. Jesse hadn't been. But he also knew how the teenage mind worked in this situation. And he knew that secretly Thomas would be shitting bricks until he was more settled. Until he made friends. Thomas glanced up at him.

"Are you going to keep staring at me or do you want to continue the conversation?" Rude to most, Jesse decided.

"If you wanted to eat with us..." He left it open. A friendly invitation. Thomas regarded him carefully, but gathered his sparse plate and gestured for him to lead on. Jesse did, but the two were intercepted, thankfully not by an angry soldier though. It was Jack, walking with command and authority to Thomas. Rumor of the fight had spread already, with each one having Thomas getting his ass kicked, and behaving worse than the last story. But Jesse saw the fight. Thomas lost, it hadn't been a competition, but he'd hit Jack, and for a brief minute put Jack on a desperate defense. That was impressive.

"Agent, you're due in one hour for a mission." Thomas smiled widely. It was the widest smile Jesse had yet to see on the young man, and it looked good. Despite being certainly beat around, his teeth looked nearly perfect. Nearly. The canines at the top of his mouth were slightly longer than they should be, and it made Thomas teeth not completely connect properly. 

"Combat?" Thomas's eyes gleamed. Jesse recognized that look, and knew that they needed to keep an eye on him.

"Yes combat, you'll be briefed in forty five minutes. I suggest you get ready quickly." Thomas nodded and began to walk away, making a strange twitching movement before turning to Jack. He looked like he would be ill. Jack smiled.

"You're dismissed soldier." Thomas nodded curtly and resumed walking away, taking piece of toast and shoving it in his mouth, leaving the plate on a random table and exiting the room. As Thomas left he twitched again, and Jesse knew why. He hated orders, and Jesse couldn't help but feel bad for him. A mission would either be a blessing or a curse, especially with Jack accompanying them.

Thirty minutes later.

The loading area was thankfully inside the base this time. This area stored almost a half dozen transport, each one tucked cozily into its own crevice. The hexagonal area let the transports slip out of there own little crevices and go up an elevator before launching in whatever direction they chose. The crevices themselves lay about ten feet off the ground so the transport didn't scrape the ground on the way out. Luckily it was kept pre-loaded for general missions like the one Thomas assumed he would go on. It was so warm he almost regretted taking a jacket but he figured it would be better to have it and leave it on the transport than freeze his own balls off without it. The smell of motor oil and gasoline wafted lazily through the air, rising steadily through the area and being sucked in several large fans and deposited elsewhere. A set of boot steps sounded in the room and Jack walked into the area while reading from a clipboard, stopping mid step to look at Thomas.

"Why are you here so early?" Thomas shrugged. He sat on a crate of peanut butter, kicking his legs with 'The Lord of the Rings' in one hand. Being early was somewhat of a habit for him. He had been taught that there was no early, only on time or late. Then Thomas learned that on time was actually late, and early was on time. At least in Talon, if you came on time you were lucky to get equipment at all. Shortages of ammunition and guns and the like. Thomas usually got something, and group ops were rare for him, but he still preferred what he knew how to shoot. Which was mainly low caliber rifle, nothing larger than .38 usually, and low caliber handguns.

"Being early is a bit of a habit now." Jack nodded approvingly and began walking up to one of the transports.

"Oh, well okay then. None of the others are here yet so... want to examine the transport with me?" It was an actual question, and as much as the smart assholeness Thomas loved wanted to say no, he hopped down and put the novel in his jacket pocket. He was stuck here, might as well start making connections. Maybe if he got there trust he could bail out of this gilded cage and leave all the fighting behind. Wishful thinking.

"Okay then, our transport is number three." He gestured to the one he was walking to and began to climb the ladder. The top of the ladder was crowded by crates of containers and Jack turned at the top, looking down at me.

"The ladder can handle both our weights for future note. It has a stress test of over a thousand pounds."

"Okay, can you back up please?" Jack raised an eyebrow but stepped back. With a running start Thomas boosted himself up the wall and hoisted himself onto stone platform next to Jack. Thomas stood up and looked at Jack.

"Why did you do that?" He looked incredulous at Thomas's choice of movement.

"I don't like ladders." It was true, ladders and Thomas tended to disagree, mainly because it was slower and he was more exposed using them. He much preferred just jumping or free climbing to using ladders. Thomas loved free climbing in general. Trees, cliffs. Unfortunately, he's also afraid of heights, and has never been able to go over fifty feet without panicking. 

"Why?"

"They are too exposed, too slow. They fall and break." Jack looked like he was about to burst out laughing, his lips were pursed and the sides of his lips were lifted the highest Thomas had yet to see.

"It's a ladder Thomas. You don't have to be afraid of a ladder." He laughed at the last word, covering his mouth and trying not to laugh more.

"No, it is a deathtrap designed by disgruntled engineers who seek vengeance against those who wronged them. And I'm not afraid I just have a sense of self preservation." Jack regained his composure after some difficulty.

"You are ridiculous. You climb trees like its nothing but won't climb a ladder." Thomas rolled his eyes and walked past Jack to the transport.

"Did I tell you I once watched my target fall off a ladder by accident and break her neck?" Jack continued smiling and began to walk towards the transport with Thomas.

"That proves nothing." Thomas responded a moment later.

"It proves ladders come from the tenth level of hell." Jack showed me inside the transport. The inside was like a luxury lounge and Thomas felt his jaw drop. 

"Damn, is this a luxury transport? You have padded seats and food on board." The transport had several rows of seats with plush blue material on top of them. In two of the corners were circular booths with card tables and in a third there was a large television. The forth corner held several boxes of differently marked materials, including extra oxygen and several med-kits. Two doors led to the front and back of the transport, with the back door sporting a red cross and a pouch of ammo insignia on it and the front with the pilots logo on it.

"Talon doesn't?"

"I'm lucky to get a bottle of water on a Talon transport. They have no shields, the chairs are bolted to the floor with rusty bolts. There's no heat or cooling. Also, if you ever want to down a Talon transport just shoot at the back of it. They stuff everything crucial in that area and the metal is shit armor. Use ballistic rounds." Jack nodded.

"We know. But thank you. That door is the armory and med-bay. That's the pilot station. This is the lounge and pre mission area. For this mission we won't be having much of a contested landing, so we can drop safely. " It was really nice and I quickly found myself examining each aspect of it.

"You guys spare no expense."

"I suppose we don't, this is average in Overwatch. It's shielded." Thomas sat on a seat, sinking slightly into it.

"I don't want to get up from this seat ever again." Jack chuckled a little. It was a nice sound, simple and happy.

"Well, take whatever you want from the armory armor wise." Thomas lay back on several of the seats, taking up four of them.

"I don't use armor." Jack poked his head over the edge of the seat.

"Really?"

"It impedes movement. Makes me drag along if I jump or climb. So what am I doing in this mission?" Jack turned away and began examining one of the window, running his not gloved hand over it and pulling it back, examining the dust on his fingers. Or more so the lack of dust.

"You'll be clearing the rooftops with Ana." Thomas frowned and Jack noticed.

"Problem?"

"With Ana?"

"Yes, is that a problem?" Jack repeated while looking over the rest of the vehicle, examining different details on the transport.

"No, but she's gonna be hard pressed to get any kills with me up there." Jack chuckled and shook his head.

"I think you should postpone judgement until after the mission."

"Well, unless she can also temporarily manipulate time as well she better be." Jack glanced back at me but ignored my comment. The report on Thomas's powers from him and mined Talon data. According to Thomas he could temporarily manipulate time, fall farther than normal people, and had a stronger skeleton than normal. Jack found Thomas's report highly... unreliable. He was eighteen, and it was unlikely that his report was totally accurate. Plus, everyone who saw him and read the report found it unlikely that nearly skin and bones Thomas could have a stronger skeleton than anyone. 

"I think you'll be impressed. So how's your hand. It good for combat?" Thomas looked it over. The wound wasn't that bad at the start, and Angela had been amazing at bandaging and treating the wound painlesly. She was incredibly nice and understanding, scolding Jack for his part o the injury. Plus she gave Thomas a lollipop at the end, surprising him greatly.

"Of course. Is doctor Ziegler coming on this mission?"

"Yes."

"Good." Jack seemed disinterested, but he was paying attention to each word. Jack new that it was important to root an agent into Overwatch, especially an adopted one like Thomas. Making friends was one way to root someone in.

"You like her?" Thomas was looking at the white bandages, watching the lines move with his hand. Despite being tied around one of the most mobile parts of the body it didn't impede the use of Thomas's hand or arm. Plus moving wasn't painful at all.

"She's polite, she's professional and she's good at what she does. What's not to like?" Jack nodded at Thomas's answer, his attention drawn over to another part of the shuttle. He had a long blue coat on with the Overwatch emblem on the back. Once the silence became uncomfortable Thomas decided to try and break the silence.

"Why do you where that big coat?" He asked. It was warm, and Thomas had no idea where the mission was, but having a big cobalt blue cumbersome coat on like some sort of publicity stunt. 

'Or maybe Jack isn't a fighter' Thomas thought. 'Maybe he isn't so different than Talon officers.'

"It's a commanders coat. Ana has one too. And most higher officials." Jack said.

"Do you where that in combat?"

"Yes." Thomas scoffed and looked over at him.

"Really?"

"Yes." He was examining something else in the transport. It occurred that he was using the excuse of examining the transport to keep an eye on Thomas, and that maybe he wasn't so caring.

"That is a horrible idea." That got his attention. Jack looked over at Thomas with curious eyes.

"How so?"

"Okay, one its a big signal saying 'hey, shoot me please.' Two the combat functionality is lacking. And three an overcoat does not make you look cool." He grinned at Thomas and Thomas felt a strange feeling in his stomach. He understood suddenly what made Jack the Strike Commander. When he smiled it made Thomas feel warm. It was unnatural. 

"I'll have you know many people have commented that this is very stylish". Thomas shook his head and looked away from Jack. The longer he looked the stronger the feeling in his stomach grew. 

"Now I know it's a bad idea." Thomas pulled out his book and began flipping through it, finding his page again. Jack turned away from the wiring he had been examining.

"What makes you say that?" Thomas smirked. 

"If everyone is thinking the same way, then someone isn't thinking." Jack returned to the wiring, shutting the panel and locking it again.

"George S. Patton." He said idly.

"Yep."

"I suppose its true. But this coat has little fibers infused which makes it almost totally bulletproof. With my helmet it makes a very small portion of myself are susceptible to bullet or explosions." Thomas nodded. That was actually impressive. Thomas had figured it was just to look official. Though the commander did look good it blue. It hugged his chest... why was Thomas thinking about this? 

"I suppose if it doubles as armor, but still why blue? Why not black, or camo or literally any color that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. You look like a smurf on steroids." Jack chuckled, only somewhat amused.

"Blue is the Overwatch color. Plus it can alter it color automatically to blend in." The silence reined again, and Thomas contented himself to read. After a few minutes in which Jack made brief inspection of the other parts of the vehicle Jack broke the silence.

"A smurf on steroids. That's a new one." He chuckled, but when Thomas made no effort to continue the conversation Jack set about the transport before speaking again.

"It looks like the others are beginning to trickle in." Jack turned and walked out the transport, his boots clacking against the metal ramps. Several other sets of steps sounded and voices sounded out. One of them had a deep voice with a German accent. Another sounded Russian. While incoherent there voices bounced and rebounded around the transport, creating an annoying cacophony of poorly pronounced words and laughter. 

Thomas focused on the book, lying backwards on the soft seats and putting on leg over the other. After some minutes loud footsteps sounded out inside the transport. A glance often reveals a lot of, and this one certainly did. Two large people, one a woman with black hair and nearly chiseled features and the other a man covered in scars with graying hair with a large scar went over his left eye that scratched down from his forward to his cheek. The man's features were also very well defined. Both of them looked briefly at Thomas before turning back to Jack.

"This is man? He looks like little pencil. Surely he is no man, more like boy." The woman had a thick Russian accent and leaned over, looking down at Thomas. He met her gaze.

"How long did it take you to come up with that?" The woman was huge, but she seemed a bully. Her face showed little respect for Thomas, and his insult certainly did not help.

"Not long. I just had to look at you and it just popped into my head." She smiled widely and moved her hand to the side of her head, making an effect next to her head.

"So that's what that sound was, I thought it was a blood vessel bursting in your head." The Russian women furrowed her eyes at Thomas.

"It's like I can hear the gears grinding."He smiled and noticed that both Jack and the large man looked worried.

"You definitely need to learn respect small boy." Thomas frowned back at her, matching her newly adopted scowl with equal intensity. He rose up from the seat. She was much taller and more muscular than him, but Thomas had won lopsided fights before. And there was no way this muscle bound idiot was going make him look bad in front of Jack.

"You know, sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut and give the impression that you’re stupid than open it and remove all doubt."

"You are going to struggle immensely in Overwatch."

"You know your ass must be pretty jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth." The Russian woman breathed in deeply, turned and left the transport, speaking angrily in Russian. Jack and the German man both stepped aside, giving her a wide girth. After a moment a loud thudding sound sounded out, reverberating through the hanger before loud boot steps sounded out, indicating the return of the angry Russian.

"Okay, I'm better now." She looked at the German man and Jack before looking back at me.

"You, are annoying, immature, and from what I have read extremely lethal. You lack proper training, respect for authorities and are very likely to be killed by someone because you annoyed them to much."

"And you look one pull up away from popping like a balloon, now are you going to tell me the but that we both know is at the end of that sentence or are you going to keep wasting both of out time?" The Russian lady frowned deeply at me, leaning over and staring at me. Thomas met her gaze for several seconds before she smiled at him, standing up and laughing loudly for several seconds.

"You are not easily intimidated, that is good. Fear merely obstructs people of there real potential. You have potential, and I am going to yank it out of you." She illustrated it with her hands, though it looked more like her ripping out Thomas's spine more than anything.

"Now you say that, but what I imagine is you ripping out my skeleton." She grinned, the left side of her mouth tugging upwards.

"That can also be arranged if you fail enough. He will do fine." Two sighs sounded on the other side of the room, reminding me of Jack and the large German mans presence. Jack took a step forward and clapped his hands together.

"Perfect, in that case get ready we leave in 12 minute. The rest of the group will be arriving soon."

One hour Later.

"Okay then, you ready Thomas?" The transport was swinging around a building, avoiding small arms fire from several roof sources. The transport would swing around a roof top and drop Thomas and Ana off there. From there they would drop on the already cleared east side of the small village and the main force would attack. These were pirates and thugs, and prisoners were not to be searched for. Just the way Thomas liked it. Lightning flashed around the buildings, slamming into lightning rods strategically placed around the area. There was no storm around, heat lightning. Thomas kept his Jacket. It was Tunisia, but it was also an urban war zone, and Thomas didn't want to lose the skin on his arms to splinters.

"I've done this before Jack. I'll be fine." Jack nodded an affirmative and punched the control to open the door. Ana jumped out first, surprising Thomas, who quickly followed. Ana took a position on the roof, lining up shots and immediately cleaning out different spots of resistance. Thomas wasted no time leaping the gap between two buildings. Shooting out a window with his pistol he jumped through, aiming at a woman. One woman fell backwards, bringing up her gun. A bullet flew freely into her head, killing her instantly. Another two people brought up gun and began firing where Thomas was, filling the wall with holes. One of the two suddenly grabbed his throat, stemming the blood that spilled through it. The second recoiled backwards in shock before a a round connected with his throat, slicing through the flesh and bone before separating the spine from the head. The two bodies collapsed on each other, blood spurting out. More gunfire sounded out, slamming into various areas of the large room. The lights went out all at once, filling the room with darkness. It wasn't complete as some light still spilled through the cracks in the walls and the open window, but it was still difficult to see.

'And now would be a good time for arrows.' Even though the pistol was a better choice an arrow was quieter. plus it was fun to shoot people with arrows. Four soldiers slowly advanced in a square, searching with flashlights for there assailants. One of the four screamed, falling backwards as an arrow sprouted from her chest and fell to the floor. The other three turned to the sound and Thomas tossed a small explosive he had taken from the armory. It detonated on contact and the second soldier went flying backwards, his scream cut off by a wet gurgling sound. He slammed into the shot up wall, going through it and falling several stories onto the ground below. The other two grabbed there injured friend and ran for the exit, one of them falling over, screaming as an arrow pierced the back of his skull. The scream died as the last two burst through the door, running down the hallway. Thomas grabbed the soldiers fallen gun and fired down the hallway after the two, catching both of them fully with the remainder of the guns clip. It was a submachine gun and it shook wildly as Thomas fired it. He dropped it and shook his numb hands.

"Note to self, automatic weapons require more practice." Discarding the weapon Thomas jumped out the hole in the wall, flipping up before climbing to the rooftop next too Ana, who was still suppressing another group of soldiers. nearby the rest of the strike force was walking slowly forward, Jack and another soldier hitting anyone who poked there heads out, Zarya, the large Russian women, throwing balls of black and purple energy at the walls, busting them down around her. Reinhardt had a large energy shield, and I noticed a soldier aiming at him. Thomas took aim when the soldier fell backwards, dead.

"Damn, I forgot how much I hate fighting in the desert." It was true, heat waves rolled off the cement ground. Tunisia was not the place for people who enjoy the cold. It was also not the place to wear a jacket.

"Technically this is the cold season, trust me it gets much worse in the spring. That's when the heat rolls off the sea onto the land. And mind the lightning."

"Sounds awful. You need a hand with them? There like six pairs unused just downstairs." Thomas grinned at Ana, who frowned at the comment. She observed that Thomas took a sort of sick enjoyment out of this fighting, and despite the blood on his person he was grinning.

"If you want to help I'm sure the others would appreciate it."

"No problem, try not to shoot me this time." Thomas leaped up over the corner, jumping from spot to spot before leaping off the corner of the building, an other building. The man using a mounted gun saw Thomas leaping through the air and turned the cannon towards him, lining up a shot on the unaware man. Ana, seeing this lined up a shot and fired, hitting the man in his temple. He crumpled under himself, forcing the soldiers loading the gun to try and suppress Ana. Thomas just reached the edge of the building, rolling with the impact. Only four soldiers were on the roof, all of them unaware of Thomas's presence. The four soldiers fired down into the street, covering there own soldiers. The first one was pushed over the edge of the building, falling the multiple stories onto the hard cement below with an audible splat. The other three turned there guns, firing as they turned. The women farthest right was hit with friendly fire by the other two soldiers. She fell down, grabbing her side and gasping out. The other two paused, realizing there mistake before both of them fell backwards, two arrow placed neatly in there eye sockets. The woman on the ground brought up her gun, firing wildly at the surrounding area before another arrow sprouted out her head. Satisfied, Thomas gave a thumbs up to the nearby Ana.

"Don't get cocky, there are more downstairs." Thomas shrugged in her direction and began lazily walking towards the door.

"I'm not cocky, I'm confident. These poor fools don't stand a chance." Gabriel's voice sounded out next.

"Quit screwing around and get on with the mission." Ana saw Thomas roll his eyes before responding.

"Yes glorious taskmaster."

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing sir." Thomas ran up to the door, kicking it once. The door held shut. Thomas kicked it again, to no avail. Ana smiled as she watched him. Thomas looked around, spotting her and giving an embarrassed smile before shooting the latches of the door off. As soon as the door was down a spray of bullet narrowly missed Thomas, who leapt to the side to dodge them. Ana shot the woman responsible for the shots in the skull and she crumpled back into the doorway, her body resting with her feet just outside the door. Ana activated her headset.

"What did I tell you about being careful?"

"Sorry. At least you got her." He disappeared into the doorway, breaking line of sight with Ana. Thomas began slowly clearing the building of poorly trained goons, firing bullets into the back of each of there heads and occasionally stabbing someone. After a few more minutes most of the fighting had died down, but the comlink crackled to life again.

"High value target spotted, black hair with extreme healing abilities. Possibly cyborg. with Talon insignia." He didn't recognize the voice of the agent, but Thomas could think of only one person with black hair and healing powers in Talon. 

Thomas kicked down another door, checking the room slowly he discovered it was empty. The window was open and blood lined the windowsill. Peaking out the window a man in a trench coat was climbing the parallel building. Long black hair ran down his back as he jumped up the wall, pulling himself over the buildings side. Thomas smiled, recognizing the figures tacky clothes and shoulder length hair.

"Jefferson. Where is he?"

"Who?"

"A little shit bird named Jefferson."

"Thomas that isn't the mission."

"It is now." Thomas pulled himself up out the window, leaping up the side of it and bringing himself to the top quickly. Jefferson was running across a roof several buildings over. He turned to Thomas and brought up his two guns. He fired wildly at Thomas, missing every shot but forcing Thomas to cover.

"Thomas, do not engage! Get back to the mission!"

"Sorry commander cobalt, but this is a high value target, more important than anyone here." Thomas reached up and turned off the ear piece, cutting off both Ana and Jacks voice.

"Thomas! Thomas! Damnit. Reinhardt, Ana, you are the two closest to him, go after him we got the last building."

"Got it Jack. We'll get him."

Same time.

Jefferson leaned on a wall, reloading his guns and peeking out of cover. He was breathing heavily and sweat dripped from his black hair. Thomas watched him with sword drawn and waiting for the right moment. He looked around and Thomas caught a good look at his face. He had gotten older since he had last seen him. His face was tighter and more scrunched up than he remembered, but it had been months since Thomas had seen him. His bright blue eyes darted fearfully around. He pushed off the wall and Thomas leapt forward. Thomas swung but missed, and Jefferson fired at Thomas. Thomas dodged and swung again, this one connected, knocking the guns out of his hands. Jefferson leapt forward, keeping close so that Thomas couldn't get him. The sword was knock aside, and Thomas regretted not just shooting him.

Thomas swung his fist, connecting with Jefferson jaw. There was a cracking sound, and Jefferson recoiled, face contorting in pain and a scream forming. He brought his leg up to kick Thomas, but Thomas ducked the blow, bringing his gun up and firing into Jefferson's leg. He collapsed in pain and Thomas slammed down on Jefferson's knee, breaking it. Jefferson screamed and attempted to grab at Thomas, but Thomas shot him twice in the chest. Jefferson would survive this, and heal like it had never happened. Thomas was going to kill him for all the shit that happened between them, but he was going to enjoy it first.

"Hello Jefferson. Remember me?" Jefferson looked up, staring at me from his position.

"Thomas fucking Byron, I thought you had finally died." Blood ran freely from his wounds, draining downwards into the sandy stone below. He looked bad, but he would heal all of this.

"Turns out I'm harder to get rid of than that black hair dye you have. Man you look awful, you got blood all over the pointed chin, and that jaw line, is it always out of place like that? I remember it being a sharp line. Plus these pearly white teeth, so red you should really brush more." The hatred in his eyes was fiery. 

"What do you want?"

"Well, you see." Thomas took his sword, spinning it before stabbing into Jefferson's shoulder\ and bisecting the bones. He screamed out, his left hand reaching to the point and trying to pull the sound out. He cut himself on the blade, spreading his blood over it and he tried to get a grip on the sword. He screamed ad went limp, gasping in pain.

"You fucker! I'll heal from all of this and you know it!"

"That's if you live. This is sweet, dick kicking" Thomas stomped him in the gut. "Ball crushing" He stomped him again. "Revenge for all the things you did to me."

"You know the sight of you, strapped to a table as Talon took its samples and tests is one of my sweetest memories." He looked up and smiled, spitting a tooth at Thomas. It landed on his pant leg and stuck there.

"And one of your last I hope." Thomas heard shouting getting closer. Jefferson needed to be dead by the time they group arrived. They would take him prisoner. They may let him join Overwatch. That couldn't happen.

"Now that that's done, I'm gonna do to you what Hitler did to Poland in the World War 2" Thomas raised his sword and swung down, the blade cut through his skull, lodging itself in at about halfway. Jefferson screamed, a shrill noise. Thomas yanked the blade out and swung again, staring at his ear and finishing at his shoulder, cutting through his throat and exposing his esophagus. Jefferson croaked, a spurt of blood leaving and went limp, pink liquid leaking from his head. Thomas stepped back and smiled, feeling exhilarated by this. Jefferson was one of four people he wanted dead, and it felt amazing to kill him.

Then a voice behind him spoke.

"Thomas? What happened. Are you okay?" The blood on his clothes wasn't his, but Ana didn't know that. She saw Jefferson's lifeless form behind Thomas and looked at him. She looked disappointed with him. Not angry, or frustrated. Just disappointed. The feeling of elation drained She looked... upset as well, with him. She looked at him, and spoke.

"Go to the transport. Now."

Later.

"So, dare I ask what happened?" The transport flew quietly through the clouds, the air conditioning a nice relief to the intense heat of the outside world. The sea slipped silently under us, bright blue horizons claiming all around us as we flew to the base. Ana, Reinhardt and Jack were all talking about Thomas. Gabriel was taking a clinical disinterest to the young man, stating that he had his own adopted agents in Jesse Mccree and Genji Shimada. Thomas was sitting on floor in the armory. He had went to there as soon as he had entered the transport, brushing off questions and concerns from the other agents, and snapping at a doctor who wanted to examine him to go away.

The mission itself went astoundingly, no deaths and only two injuries in the entire group, both of which were easily treatable. Now, with the rest of the mission taken care of and the crew settling in, happily chatting to each other and filling the vehicle with a loud ambient chatter the three discussed Thomas. He was good, efficient if somewhat brutal in his methods. But now, after his meeting the man known only as Jefferson Ana was calling his psyche into question. The boy hadn't spoken a word since leaving for the transport.

"He, well Reinhardt and I both seemed to have an effect on him. Whether or not that effect is positive has yet to manifest itself." Jack looked at the camera feed and saw Thomas was cleaning his sword and gun. The sword was propped against the wall, and it looked like something shiny was coating it, possibly to clean away the blood. The gun was in about fifty pieces, and Thomas used a small brush to clean out sand and dirt from the firing chamber. his bloodied Jacket lay next to him. They continued talking for another minute, until Reinhardt had to go and speak with Angela. Jack stepped into the armory, followed by Ana. Thomas looked up at them. First at Jack, then at Ana. When he saw Ana's face he seemed to shrink away and returned to cleaning his gun, beginning the reconstruction of the weapon. Ana stepped forward, standing directly in front of Thomas. She looked down at him, her stance intimidating. Thomas looked up, but didn't respond. After letting the situation drag on for several more seconds Ana spoke, calmly, clearly, and full of authority.

"Why did you kill him?"

"He was dangerous." Thomas looked away, speaking slowly. Jack was reminded again by just how young he was, and how even though he was a trained killer, he was still eighteen. And he still could be scolded by others. It was not necessarily a revelation, just somewhat revealing.

"So you decided by yourself, against orders, that you will kill him?"

"No!"

"No?" Thomas looked away again, taking his sword and setting the now finished firearm aside, and began wiping away at the sword. The sword itself is a simple weapon, it looked like a longsword with a hilt that had two prongs pointed away from the handle slightly. The handle itself was wrapped in a leather grip with a blue dash of color at its base.

"Well... yes. But you would have taken him prisoner, and he would have escaped, and killed... people." Ana folded her arms, adopting a regal authority. Like so many others before her experience as a diplomat and a mother made her presence to imposing to ignore.

"So it's our fault?"

"No! It's not your fault, it just... isn't my fault either."

"So it's no ones fault."

"Exactly." He nodded, but refused to meet Ana's gaze. She spotted a small mark on his arm, where a bullet had grazed him. It looked burned. She bent over on one knee.

"May I see your arm?" Here voice, once imposing and irrefutable, was soft and kind again. Thomas looked up, at her then at his arm. His eyes were filled with a wary suspicion. He nodded after a moment, and Ana took his hand. She pushed up his sleeve and examined the burned patch of skin, running her hand over it, to which Thomas winced, his arm twitching, but not enough to pull himself free of Ana's grasp.

"Let's go get this under some ice, so it doesn't scar."

"I don't-"

"I wasn't asking." Thomas looked back at Ana, surprised. She wasn't taking no for an answer. But he didn't argue. Thomas stood up, taking his few possessions and setting them on a table. Ana led him out of the room, but Thomas hesitated at the doorway. Jack stood next to him. It was clear he didn't want to go. To Thomas it felt like a walk of shame. He was openly admitting, 'Hey everyone! I'm hurt!' That kind of thing got you killed in Talon. it showed weakness. Even though no one would jump him, it was important for Thomas to maintain his image and reputation. It was all he had. Jack put a hand on Thomas shoulder, stern and unyielding, but not aggressive. Thomas looked up at him, and Jack spoke.

"Follow me, and talk. Make it look like you're following me. No one will look twice, i promise." Thomas opened his mouth, then closed it. He nodded, grateful for the older man's help, and followed Jack out of the armory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, yaay. So in this chapter I'm trying something new where I'll try to mix dialogue and description so I don't have a paragraph of description and then twenty lines of dialogue. Hope you like it.
> 
> Obviously I don't own Overwatch, or the characters aside from Thomas's likeness. The joke about ladders is from a YouTube channel called Doormonster, check them out. I don't own start wars, or lord of the rings or any of that. Disclaimer over, enjoy.


	3. Dates, Waffles, and the Italian Observatory

4 hours later

Thrap thrap thrap. The sound of knocking reverberated through hall. Jesse waited for a response patiently, silently hoping Thomas hadn't already fallen asleep. The team had arrived earlier than expected and Thomas had disappeared into his room within minutes of landing. He would be required to give a mission report within a day, as per regulations. When Jesse had asked Ana where Thomas might be she had smirked a little and asked why he wanted to know. Two bullshit excuses later and she said he was probably in his quarters. Now here Jesse was, standing outside his door, rocking slowly from heel to toe as he waited for an answer. This had been the third time he had knocked and for the third time he considered just opening the door. With a sigh and a glance briefly up and down the hall Jesse scratched his chin hair before hitting the enter key. The door soundlessly opened up, sliding into the wall effortlessly. The room looked cleaner, more lived in but with scant personal effects scattered around. Thomas sat by the desk, his frame leaned over it and a pencil in his right hand.

He had two earbuds in, and was tapping his foot quietly. Jesse stepped forward, suddenly appreciative of the lack of clinking clothing on his body. As he got closer he saw Thomas drawing a picture of Reinhardt. It was well done and looked like a portrait Ana had gotten done in Paris once by a professional. The picture showed just Reinhardt's face smiling widely. The sharp chin line, gentle eyes, the scars and shading were all very well done. Right now he was outlining the hair when Jesse coughed quietly behind him. Thomas body tensed and the pencil tip snapped. He turned around and looked at Jesse.

"Damnit man. Didn't you learn to knock?" Thomas shot, rising up from the chair.

"I did, you must not have heard." Jesse snapped back. This was not beginning well.

"How did you get through the locked door?!" Thomas accused. He looked angry, but Jesse found it almost... cute.

"You're still on probation. It will be a while before you can do things. Like leave the base without an escort or lock doors or go to the armory without an escort."

"I can't lock my own fucking door! What kind of Bullshit is that?!" Thomas walked away from Jesse to one corner of the room. He opened up the drawers and began moving things around, searching for something. He had a black shirt and tan pants that hugged his form nicely. It wasn't tight, it just wasn't baggy either. Jesse looked away from him, definitely not wanting to get caught staring at his ass Jesse turned to look through the papers, seeing the unfinished Reinhardt one, one of Angela, Jack, Ana and one of himself. A few other sketches adorned the book as well. Trees, birds, random faces and people Jesse didn't recognize. Most of which were well done.

Thomas saw Jesse rummaging and walked over, snatching up the book with a glare. 

'He's just full of piss and vinegar isn't he.' Thought Jesse. But that wasn't a problem to him.

"They're good. I like the one of myself. It's a spiitin image." Thomas set the book on the nightstand, but looked back at Jesse. His eyes were full of suspicion.

"It better be, your beard was a pain in the ass to draw."

"It was?"

"Yeah, it kept coming out wrong, looked like stubble versus an actual beard. Then when I tried fresh it looked like a cactus was growing out of your chin." Jesse smiled.

"So how'd the mission go?" Thomas shook his head and resumed digging around in the drawer.

"Did Ana send you?"

"No."

"Jack?"

"No. I'm just curious how it went. That so hard to believe?"

"Yes."

"And why is that?" Thomas shook his head, shut the drawer and turned around, leaning on it. He snapped his fingers and began looking around for something else..

"Everyone has an ulterior motive. People don't do things out of the kindness of their hearts." Jesse watched Thomas as he rummaged, now curious of Thomas's reasoning.

"That what you think?"

"Wouldn't have said it if I didn't." Jesse couldn't help but smile wider. Thomas was like a copy of how Jesse was when he first joined Overwatch, fresh out of Deadlock.

"So, what's my ulterior motive?" Thomas glanced at Jesse and shrugged.

"I don't read minds. I'm not that kind of freak." Jesse frowned at that. "So what are you doing here?"

"How about, if you want to find out, you follow me. Say, to a movie theater." Thomas looked up at Jesse again. His eyes narrowed.

"Are you asking me out?"

:"Now, that depends on the answer." Thomas shook his head.

"Are you even allowed to do that. You aren't worried in the slightest I'll attack you, or try to run away." Jesse smirked.

"Hey you surprised me the first time. It won't happen again."

"Seriously. Of all the reckless, stupid, getting yourself killed-"

"So that's a yes?" Jesse interuppted.

"How did you even know I'm gay?" Asked Thomas.

"I didn't, until now." Thomas held his gaze for several seconds, but finally smiled.

"Sure."

4 hours later. 

The date had gone well. The pair had gone too see the newest superhero movie, which was good if somewhat predictable. Thomas and Jesse had argued slightly when Thomas said they could pay for snacks and tickets using a card he had nicked off 'some rich dick who pushed me.' After some coaxing, a little argument, plus the promise of milk duds, and explaining what milk duds were, Thomas explained that about a year ago he had been in the mall buying 'stuff' when the rich dick in question shoved past him and knocked the 'stuff' onto the floor. When Thomas confronted the man he had dismissed him and threatened to call security since he owned the mall. Thomas had discovered the mans wallet on the ground, which upon some pursing he found the cinema card and some 'other items.' Thomas had known he'd never get away with swiping the whole wallet, so he had taken the cinema card and used it at every movie he wanted to see as a premium stubs member for the past year uninfringed. "It's the best revenge'. He had stated smiling widely. Though he had refused to give Jesse the card he had agreed not to use it when he went to the movies with other people. After the two and a half hour movie they had taken the long way home, simply driving around through a large patch of snowy woods before returning to the base. Once returned Jesse had escorted Thomas back to his room.

"Well, you didn't jump me. I suppose that meant you were entertained." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"It was... nice."

"Well I'm glad you had a good time, would you like to do something again? Maybe in two days?" Thomas pretended to think it over, dragging the moment on for several moments before nodding.

"I'd like that." Thomas looked to the right as something caught his eye.

"Hey Jesse, you see that?" Jesse turned to look at what had caught Thomas's eye when Thomas leaned forward, kissing Jesse on the cheek briefly before stepping back into his room and closing the door quickly. Jesse was stunned for a moment, standing there stupidly before he ran his fingers over the spot and smiled widely. Meanwhile in the room Thomas was leaning on the wall, smiling and slightly terrified at the perceived finality of what he had just done. While Jesse walked away from the door, a confident and vibrant joy radiating off him Thomas lay down on the bed, yawning loudly and pulling out phone to check some time. It was past midnight. He still wound up sleeping on his stomach usually because of habit, but it was still nice to roll over without being shocked painfully. For the first time in a long while, Thomas fell asleep with a smile.

9 hours later

A gentle knocking filled the room, rebounding off the walls and pulling Thomas from sleep. He groaned, grabbing his phone from the small stand next to my bed. It was almost ten in the morning. More knocking filled the room.

"Damn it. Why does everyone here expect people to have healthy sleeping schedules?" With a little effort he managed to push himself off the bed upwards and rolled onto his side, blinking away sleep. The knocking continued, another set of three sounding out.

"If someone isn't dead, someones about to be." Getting up off the bed Thomas heard several pops as his joints protested the movements. After a moment he moved to the door, keying it and watching it swiftly slide into the wall, revealing Ana standing outside. She smiled up at Thomas.

"Good morning Thomas." He leaned on the door frame and did his best to not appear exhausted. He wasn't that tired when he went to sleep how was he more tired now?

"Hi Ana."

"Did you just wake up?" She didn't sound judgmental, but Thomas realized that he probably didn't look 'military'. Oh well.

"Yes. Is it that obvious?" Thomas continued to blink away the sleep and rubbed at his eyes absentmindedly. It was probably disrespectful to do so in front of a superior officer, but Ana was surprisingly okay with unprofessional-ness. As long as it wasn't in front of someone important.

"Because of the mission?"

"Yeah, plus I have no sense of sleep schedule."

"Really?' She seemed surprised. Talon did not give a fuck about sleep schedules. As long as Thomas was capable of fighting at any moment, they didn't care.

"Yep. I stay up for days, and whenever I get tired I sleep until I wake up and repeat. Now, not to be rude, but do you need something?" It came off snappier than intended. Ana was fairly nice to Thomas, she'd invited him to tea once.

"Right, are you hungry?" She seemed to want to ask questions, but held her tongue. 

"Yes." Thomas was always hungry. Even if he had just eaten, he could eat more. A full stomach was a rare luxury, not afforded to street rats or conscripts. As if to emphasize the point Thomas's stomach growled quietly. He looked down at his stomach and back at Ana.

"I said yes, I don't know what more it wants." Ana smiled. She had a nice smile. It was kind... and reassuring. Motherly. It was nice to see her smile.

"Probably food." She supplied.

"That makes sense."

"Would you like to accompany me to a local restaurant?" Thomas stared at her for a moment, gears clicking in his head.

"Wait. You want me, the dangerous criminal who's been here for less than a fortnight, to accompany you to breakfast?" Ana's smile turned into a smirk.

"I'm not sure about 'dangerous' criminal." Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"Oh so I don't constitute dangerous? What was with that maximum security cell you put me in?" Ana shook her head, a light chuckle leaving her.

"Thomas, that was not a maximum security cell. If we really thought you were a danger to people you wouldn't have woken up." She said that casually and coolly, like talking about the weather. Thomas felt his confidence shatter.

"Okay. You're kinda scaring me now. Can we go back to the whole breakfast thing?" Ana's wonderful smile returned, and the dangerous air was gone. It occurred to Thomas that just because this was a short and kind women, didn't mean she was less capable of hurting, restraining or even killing him.

"Well do you?" Thomas blinked.

"Do I what?" She chuckled.

"Wish to accompany me to breakfast?" Thomas mentally slapped himself.

"Oh right. Yes. I would." Food did sound nice, but Thomas was also somewhat afraid he would anger Ana if he said no.

"Okay. I need like, two minutes. That okay?" Ana nodded. Thomas went back into the room, leaving the door open behind him. Ana looked in the room. Most new recruits brought in pictures if they had individual rooms, or at least some personal effects. Things related to family or friends. It occurred to Ana, that Thomas may not have either. Thomas grabbed a few clothes from his drawers. Most of them weren't his, they had appeared, in his size (mostly) after the first day. Thomas took his fresh clothes into the bathroom. After three minutes he came out with fresh clothes and combed hair.

'He needs a haircut.' Thought Ana. Thomas stepped forward and closed the door. Thomas's chestnut black hair looked good when it was combed. It looked similar to a businessman cut, but longer when it was combed. Ana saw Thomas's eyes darted around as he walked, drinking in the environment. Snow lashed at the windows, and despite it being mid morning the sun seemed lazy today. Snow fell in gentle flurries from the sky and collected on the ground, windows and buildings, some of it thawing on the building and running down before freezing again, creating a cascade of ice that reflected the outside and light light in a marvelous spectacle of colors. The crowds and snow blocked all but the most intense burst of sunlight, creating puddles in a sea of frozen water. When the two came up to the T junction, the left side of which led to the cafeteria, Thomas waited for her to go to the cafeteria, but rather she went right. Thomas mentally face palmed again and followed her. 

After some small talk and walking Ana led Thomas past a check point. A burly women stood guard. It wasn't Zarya, but she looked like she may be related to her. At least they both looked like trees with smaller trees as arms and legs.

"Hello Ana. Taking the latest add-on out?" Thomas looked at her and smirked. Ana nodded.

"Yes Malya. I'll keep an eye on him." The women nodded and looked at Thomas.

"Don't do anything stupid." Thomas looked at the burly woman.

"Don't worry. I'm not like you." She scowled as Ana led Thomas past her, and into a large parking garage.

"You shouldn't do that." Said Ana.

"Do what?"

"Be rude like that to people." Thomas shrugged.

"It's not like they matter." Ana looked at Thomas with a cross look.

"How do you figure that?"

"The way I see it is, I'll be here for as long as I'm of use. When I'm not, that'll change. The opinion of a few people won't change that."

"We aren't going to get rid of you Thomas."

"You'll forgive me if I'm less than trusting." Ana looked away for a moment, briefly scanning the vehicles for her truck before looking back at Thomas.

"Thomas, have you been... chased away from places?"

"Yeah. A bunch of 'em. People don't like thieves and nuisances."

"Why did they kick you out?"

"A lot of reasons. It wasn't so much getting kicked out, it's just that... I wasn't welcome. People don't like my kind." Ana unlocked her truck, and as she climbed in the drivers seat she spoke again.

"You mean mutants?" Thomas nodded.

"Yeah. People don't like us. It's like in X-Men. People don't understand."

"Do you know any other mutants?"

"A few. Jefferson was one. He could heal really quickly. Not like regrowing limbs, but he healed from broken bones and bullet wounds in a day or two. There's another one, Symmetra. She's in Overwatch. She can bend light. And uh... Moira. The one that can summon that beam thing. There's not a lot of others."

"Yes. It is exceedingly rare. What are your powers?" Thomas smirked.

"Well, I heal faster than a normal person, I have a much faster metabolism. High resistance to pain, oh and I can summon medieval weapons out of thin air!" He listed the things off on his fingers. Ana nodded.

"Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yeah, where are we going?"

"There's a nice place called the Singing Hill Cafe with delicious waffles. I think you'll like it."

"I've never had waffles before." Ana glanced at Thomas.

"You are in for a treat then. Because I have had many waffles and these are the best." She resumed walking forward.

"Oh, a waffle connoisseur. I wouldn't have expected that. Okay, here's another one. Why didn't you shoot me?" Ana was expecting a question along that line.

"Why would I?"

"Well, I was a threat. I had a gun, you didn't have yours drawn. You're a master marksmen, close quarters expert. Best sniper in the world. And I had a concussion."

"That's easy. You were running." Thomas waited for elaboration, but none was offered. He was tempted to explore her answer, but felt like it would come to naught.

"So... what made you join the military?"

"I was an Egyptian sniper for several years. I was going to be a lawyer." Thomas smiled. Ana Amari, lawyer.

"What made you quit?"

"About two weeks of college. I knew that I wouldn't make it. I always loved shooting, so I signed up to be a reservist in the Egyptian military. Two years later, and I was a deployed combat sniper. What about you Thomas? If you were to, theoretically, choose a career, what would it be?" Thomas thought about it. Several ideas came to mind, but none stuck. Then he remembered something.

"I... I think I would like to own a candy shop." Ana laughed politely.

"A candy shop?"

"Yeah. Small corner store deal. Sell candies, a few odds and ends thing. Mostly candy though. Maybe Ice-cream."

"Why a candy shop?"

"There was this one man. He owned a candy store. He was really nice. Named... shit. Jacob? Johnathan? I can't really remember. It started with a J. He always made the other kids, and even adults really happy. He gave me free sweets, and I did odds and ends work for him. It was nice."

"What happened to him?" Thomas looked away from Ana and she felt the mood darken.

"He died. I think it was a heart attack. I came in from scavenging the junkyard for parts. Wanted to get some sweets, see if he wanted anything from my collection. People throw out all kinds of stuff. Most of it's easily repaired. He could get a gently used T.V. for a hundred bucks, or a totally new one for a thousand. He'd been hunting after some wiring for this old arcade game he was restoring, and I'd gotten him some. He was dead on the counter. All cold and... well dead. I called the cops, but they said I did it. That I used my powers to kill the man. Then they found my wagon. Said I was a thief, a rat, a murderer. Tried to arrest me."

"What did you do?"

"I ran. Jumped up on the counter, made it to the stairs, ran out a window and along the rooftops. Cops chased me, but once i get on the rooftops no one could catch me. Probably still can't." Their was a hint of pride in his voice.

"I got back to the abandoned movie theater I was staying in. Grabbed my things, made my way to the train yard and weaseled myself in with the luggage. They probably still think it was me."

"Wait, movie theater? What about home?"

"That was home. I left my parents when I was fourteen." Ana's voice softened.

"Why?"

"Wasn't welcome. My powers, they didn't like them. It culminated, I left."

"Why are you being honest with me. You seemed reserved before." Thomas shrugged.

"I was honest before. I might as well be honest now. At least than you'll know me as an honest person. If I'm honest, you'll believe me more." Ana nodded.

"I still appreciate you talking about it."

"So, why do you have this truck? I would take you as a more, fast car kind of person."

"I like it. This truck can still gun it. You should see Reinhardt's truck. Or his R.V."

"I'm sorry, Reinhardt's R.V.? Don't you mean tiny house. The man's huge!"

"You're not wrong." Unlike yesterday's the Traffic was horrible, with a large amount of people honking at each other. Why so much traffic existed at Ten in the would always confound Thomas. The mountains and scenery of the area were beautiful, the people were mostly nice and the snow was manageable. But this seemed negligible in face of so many cars. The traffic moved steadily at least. At one point a person drove to the right, flipping off myself and Thomas. Thomas wasted no time in returning the favor and making several rude hand signs in return. Ana turned off the main highway and onto a smaller road.

"You shouldn't provoke them."

"We'll be fine, besides he started it."

"Still, better not burn bridges."

"I suppose." Continuing down the small road for several minutes Ana drove past trees that lay leafless in there respective places. The roads themselves were well maintained, very little snow lay on the roads and few pot holes or frozen marks lay anywhere. It was obvious the city had enough money to maintain itself and regularly upgrade services. Parking at an old building Ana turned off the truck, taking a moment to grab her wallet before opening the door and stepping out. The building itself was medium sized and made of bricks and mortar with wooden paneling that strove for a simple rustic design. 

Thomas followed into the building, grabbing the door and holding it open for me. Ana smiled and stepped in, briefly scanning the restaurant for the woman who usually was her server. The building housed a small counter with a cash register, credit card machine and a man sitting on a tall stool, scribbling information on a notepad while talking to someone on the phone. The rest of the restaurant housed about 12 tables of varying occupancy and 10 stools near a counter. It was over half full with the counter being totally full. The restaurant served all kinds of food at any hour with a certain emphasis on German goods, however the real specialty was there breakfast courses. Due to this and the near highway access it was a popular stop for travelers and tourists as well as locals. The tables were wooden and held up by two small metal support beams for every four seats the table accommodated. The walls were brick and from the ceiling hung secured lightbulbs with small lampshades over each table. A small potted plant adorned the center of the six or larger seat tables. Near the back of the restaurant was a door that led to the kitchens. I stepped up to the front counter, enjoying the efficient heating the building provided. The man at the counter smiled at me and pulled the phone away from his mouth, covering it with his hand.

"Morning Ana, your usual table is open and Caroline will be with you shortly."

"Thank you James." The young man nodded and returned to the phone, writing down more information on the notepad.

"This way Thomas." Ana led him to a corner of the restaurant that, in my opinion, possessed the best view of both mountains and nearby forests. The scene of the snow on the mountains and the rivers slowly winding down them into the still vibrant woods would always be one of my favorite views. The seats themselves were varying sized crates with a nice red cushions sewn into the top of the crates. A pleasant talkative atmosphere filled the air of the building, each individual conversation indistinguishable from the others. Thomas took a menu and looked over it, eyes widening slightly. Ana smirked at the sight.

"You okay?" She asked, amusement in her voice.

"Yeah." There was a lot of items to choose from. Breakfast items, lunch items, all sorts of choices. And Thomas could get any of it. Usually he was stuck with whatever was on the dollar menu, or whatever was cheapest.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what to get. There's just a lot of choices."

"Really? Thomas, have you been to a restaurant before?"

"I've been to fast food before."

"Not that, an actual place, a nice place like this. Actually just a place like this. There are a lot of nicer places than this."

"No."

"Did your parents never take you."

"No. And I could never afford to go by myself. Plus I never looked the part." For a moment Ana watched Thomas scan the menu, looking up and down the laminated paper. Before Ana could speak a cheerful brown haired lady named Caroline, a friend who worked here, approached. Her daughter and Fareeha often talked online with each other. She was shorter than Ana, standing at barely five foot three inches. Her hair was pulled up into a short ponytail and she smiled at me. Her eyes were slanted slightly and the brown of her pupils were slightly illuminated.

"Morning Ana."

"Good morning Caroline, how are you doing of this lovely morning?"

"Fine, the morning rush is finally clearing out, you should have seen it twenty minutes ago."

"I believe it. The highway was even pushier than usual this morning." Caroline smiled and looked at Thomas, seemingly just noticing him.

"Who is this young man?" Thomas looked up from the menu. He smiled shyly and extended his hand.

"Uh, I'm Thomas, pleasure to meet you ma'am." Caroline took his hand and smiled, shaking it several times before releasing it.

"Same to you dear. So you two, what do you want to drink?"

"The usual for me please."

"Sure thing, one sweet tea." Caroline made a scribble on the note pad. "For you, a soda?"

"No, I hate soda." That was one of the things that was weird about Thomas. One of many. he just... hated soda. Soft drinks, colas. Any of that. He drank it. He'd rather live than not drink soda, but he never enjoyed the taste.

"Really?"

"Yes." Thomas's gaze flicked to me and back at Caroline briefly. "Just a water for me please." Caroline nodded.

"You got it, I'll be back in just a sec." Ana nodded in answer. For a few minutes Thomas just scanned the menu.

"You know there's five pages of that." Thomas looked up at me and blinked, poking at the edge of the laminated paper to turn the page. He scanned each page before setting it down.

"Nope, way to many choices. I'll just get what you're having." He looked out and pushed his hands together, setting them on the table.

"That was surprisingly polite, talking to Caroline." He glanced back at me.

"Yep. Isn't that what you said. About burning bridges?"

"Yes. Why not act like that all the time?" Thomas frowned.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm impolite to people who do things to me first? Like that guard women. 'Try not to do anything stupid.' People see me and they think 'trouble'. I've tried getting peoples respect. It doesn't work."

"Why do people think trouble when they see you?" Thomas shook his head.

"You're not stupid Ana. Look at me. These scars, don't happen normally. Normal people, don't fiddle with there hands constantly. I'm not normal, and they know it. And they think because I'm not normal, I must be worse than normal. Plus, I've been told it's my demeanor. I'm lean. I look like a shady teenager. A thief." He glanced around, suddenly aware of his surroundings. No one was paying any amount of special attention, but Ana saw him hunch over a little, his posture becoming more defensive.

"That's not how I see you." Thomas smiled dryly, but Ana saw it was honest..

"Thanks. One down, right?" Ana smiled sadly. Thomas scratched his head through his hair and looked out the window at the mountainscape. Thomas wanted this to go well. He did. There was a time when joining Overwatch was his dream. Back when he believed in good guys and bad guys. Still though, it was nice here. In Overwatch. Thomas thought about Jesse and smiled to himself. The man was... surprisingly not totally full of himself. Seeming more interested in learning about Thomas, promoting conversations. He was sappily romantic to him as well. It was nice, being the center of attention. Ana tapped the table and drew Thomas out of his thoughts. "Look at that Thomas." A hawk circled over the mountain range. It was circling something over one of the many rivers flowing down from the mountains. Thomas and Ana watched the bird as It circled for maybe two minutes before it suddenly fell from the sky, plummeting towards a river and disappearing from view before flying up, a fish clutched firmly in its claws.

"You don't see that everyday."Said Thomas. The bird of prey swerved and went towards the larger city, presumably towards a nest of some kind.

"No you do not."

"I know it's circle of life, but I can't help but feel bad for the fish." Ana glanced sideways for a moment, looking at Thomas before looking back up, searching for the hawk again. It was flying so distant that she had to squint to see it. Her mechanical eye zoomed in, and she saw it again. Out of the corner of her vision she saw Thomas staring at me now.

"You have a mechanical eye?" She looked at him, somewhat surprised at the question.

"How could you tell?"

"I thought I saw something weird with your eye for as long as I've known you, but when you were looking for the hawk I saw your eye focusing and refocusing every so slightly. I actually thought you were having a stroke at first." He smirked a little, looking pleased to have discovered the modification. Ana smiled.

"Really? How come you didn't know earlier."

"Prosthetic are kind of like asking a girl if she's pregnant. You don't, until you are absolutely sure." Ana chuckled lightly.

"I suppose that is a good rule to live by. Thomas-" Caroline appeared with drinks on a tray.

"Here you go." Caroline placed my tea on the table, before turning towards someone shouting at her from the kitchen.

"Just a moment Ernie!" The water on the other side of the plate began to tilt due to the imbalance of weight. The glass tilted and fell, spilling as it plummeted towards the floor. Caroline turned and Ana reached out for the glass, but Thomas beat both of them to it, grabbing the glass and catching around half its contents and all the ice inches from the floor. He brought it up grinning and set the glass on the table.

"Good job." Said Caroline.

"Thanks, sorry I couldn't get the rest of the water."

"No, the glass was the most important part honestly. A little water wont hurt a stone floor, and it's designed to drain quickly. See." The water had already pooled into the small grooves of the floor. It ran to small drains in the floor and disappeared without so much as a splash.

"Give it five minutes and a small wet stain will be all that remains." Thomas continued staring at it grooves.

"That's cool, it's like a... Roman aqueduct." Caroline looked a Ana, one eyebrow raised questioningly, as if to ask 'do you know what he's talking about?' Ana smiled in response and shrugged.

"Anyway, do you know what you would like?" I looked at Thomas, who gestured at me.

"I'll have the chocolate chip Belgian waffles with all the trimmings." Caroline smiled, scribbling on a notepad and turning to Thomas.

"And you dear?"

"I'll have what she's having please."

"Very good, I'll be out with those in a little while."

"Thank you ma'am." Caroline glanced at Ana and nodded approvingly before turning back towards the kitchen.

"And I'm going to wash my hands before eating. I'll be back in a sec." Thomas stood up and looked around briefly before turning back to Ana.

"Uh, where is-"

"That way." She pointed to the corner of the restaurant.

"Thanks." Thomas turned and made his way to the corner of the bathroom and Ana looked back out the window, seeing if I could find the bird again. The tea tasted as excellent as ever. It was not at all like the tea she enjoyed at the base or at home, but it was still flavorful. Ana saw Caroline approach out the corner of her eyesight, a second try in hand.

"That was fast."

"Yep, the cooks put a little priority on your food." She put the plates down and the refill glass of water. "Ana, why did you never tell me you had a son? I knew you had a daughter, Fareeha, but I never knew you had a son." Ana looked at Caroline, surprised by the question.

"Thomas?"

"Yes Thomas, if he isn't your son you must be related. I mean, he's not Egyptian but you've got really similar eyes, and the same kind of pointed chin." Ana thought about it. She would need to look again. Rather than explain Thomas's, circumstances, she played along.

"No, he is. I haven't talked about him before?"

"No, but don't worry about it. Anyway I just wanted to say you should be proud, hes very polite."

"Oh, thank you."

"Anyway, here you go. Enjoy." She quickly moved to another table with a family occupying it. Thomas sat back down a short while later.

"Sweet, foods here." Thomas sat down and began cutting into his food. While he did, Ana looked closer at his facial features. The spot on his chin were he had smacked into the wall on the first day he had been found him was healing well. The scar would definitely run up his jawline to nearly his ear but mixed with another scar that was there previously. He did look like Ana, if you look in the right way. He was younger, and more masculine but the base features, he could be my son. It was a stretch though. Plus, he couldn't be her son. Not only was his hair a different color, Ana's son had been killed a long time ago. And Ana only ever had the two children. Thomas took a bite of his food and smiled before shoveling in another bite.

"I assume I was correct?" Thomas nodded, swallowing before taking another bite. He ate so quickly his food was gone before Ana had finished even half of hers. Thomas leaned back, a look of slight disappointment on his face. He set aside his fork and used his finger to gather up the last of the whip cream and syrup.

"Would you like to get more?" Ana offered. Thomas looked up.

"Could I?" Ana nodded.

"Caroline should be by soon. Ask her for a second plate." Thomas looked somewhat reluctant, despite clearly enjoying the sugary food.

"It's okay if you want more. I won't be upset." Thomas nodded and in another ten minutes Thomas was happily chewing through a second plate. He finished just before Ana, gathering the last crumbs and drops on his fork and finger. He made a satisfied sound, like a hum.

"This was really good Ana. Thank you." He grinned grinned a little, the right corner of his mouth tugging gently upwards. He looked younger, like he had done this every week all his life. It reminded Ana just how inexperienced this young man, arguably boy was. Eighteen years old, recruited by Talon at Sixteen, ran away from home at fourteen. It seemed such a short amount of time for so much to happen.

"It was my pleasure." It took about five more minutes for Ana to finish her food, during which Thomas looked out at the view of the mountains. After finishing Caroline was quick to come by and grab the plates and leave the bill. Leaving a twenty percent tip for her Ana rose up from the seat, quickly followed by Thomas and went to see James briefly before leaving. Upon arriving they discovered James was attempting communications with a couple. The two were talking in a foreign language to James, who was tapping at his phone, holding it up to them and sighing.

"Hello James."

"Hey Ana, sorry, be with you in a moment." He tapped something on his phone and a different language came out, but the couple shook there heads.

"What's the problem?"

"Well. I don't know what these people are saying, my phone doesn't and they don't know how to say it in English, plus there phones aren't translating it either."

"Siamo molto spiacenti. Dobbiamo trovare l'osservatorio."

"See, I tried Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Creole, French. None of them are right." Thomas tapped my shoulder.

"Let me try." He cleared his throat.

"Uh, perdonami Parli ... italiano? No?" The couples faces lit up.

"Sì, sì, grazie a Dio. Italiana. Pensavo fosse italiano." The woman nodded and made a motion like she was face palming, all while smiling.

"Molto bene Quindi, qual è il problema?" Ana looked at Thomas then back to the couple. The women was talking and the man was typing on his phone.

"Cerchiamo di trovare, uh, osservatorio. Perdiamo facilmente e nessuno parla la lingua."

"Ah! OK." He turned to me. "They're trying to find an observatory." The man showed a picture of a nearby observatory to the crowd of people.

"I didn't know you spoke Italian. Tell them the observatory is ten miles due east of the town exit, at the top of a mountain. Signs will lead them there from the exit." Thomas nodded and turned back to them.

"L'osservatorio si trova a dieci miglia a est dell'uscita della ... città, in cima a una ... montagna. I segni ti porteranno dall'uscita." The couple smiled again.

"Grazie! Ci siamo persi per molte ore." The women clapped to herself and the man nodded.

"Questo non è un problema. Buona giornata"

"Anche tu." And just like that the couple turned, nodding to James and left the restaurant.

"Dude, I have no idea what you just said, but thanks. You just saved me a lot of work." Said James, setting his phone on the stand.

"No problem." Said Thomas. Ana led the way out of the restaurant. The outside world looked to be slowly souring. The sky had darkened somewhat, with fresh flurries of snow lurking in the clouds. Ana and Thomas made there way to the truck, and Ana observed Thomas vainly trying to kick the snow of his shoes before entering. After a moment he got in the truck, took off his shoes and beat them together outside the threshold, knocking flurries onto the ground. A small anticipation for the snow to come.When he entered and Ana pulled out of the parking lot she Spoke.

"So why didn't you tell you spoke fluent Italian?"

"Eh... no reason. I don't get to use it often. I learned a lot of languages when I was a kid. I can read, write and speak English and Italian. I can speak Irish Gaelic and Portuguese pretty well. I can sorta speak Latin American Spanish... but not really. I sorta know French, but I don't have an accent or a firm grip on it. It's Canadian French, Quebec. And it was never formal, just a few villages spoke it when I was growing up and I learned some words to speak with them." Ana nodded.

"Huh, you still didn't answer the question." Thomas nodded as well.

"And you didn't ask before now. Besides, it's not important." He said.

"Okay, fair's fair." The traffic on the way back had cleared significantly. The air had already grown colder than earlier, a perverse twist to the usual effect the morning sun had on the snow. The clouds grumbled overhead, and Thomas became antsy. Lightning flashed, and a moment later thunder boomed and Thomas jumped, grabbing the arm rest.

"Are you alright Thomas?" He nodded, gulping quietly.

"I despise thunder. Thunderstorms and lightning." He shuddered and scanned the woods nearby.

"What are you looking at?"

"Things that aren't there." He said quietly, as if speaking to himself again. Ana let the subject drop, and struck a new one.

"Hard to believe it's august right?"

"Yeah. One of those years guess." And despite repeated attempts to reignite the conversations, it's embers were gone. Snuffed by the storm.


	4. It's Going Well

"I don't believe it!" Hana threw her hands up into the air, controller flying sideways and thunking onto the blue wall. Lena leaned back in the chair, similarly exasperated. Genji calmly sat on the floor, but still clenched his hand on the controller tightly.

"I don't understand. How?!"

"He's cheating that's what it is! He's played before or he has cheats on!" Hana pointed accusedly at Thomas. He smiled at them, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm not cheating." He protested, the smug grin only antagonizing the rest of the group. Hana's insistence for Thomas to join her and the others in a game of 'Shockers Six' had devolved into Thomas blasting the other three apart again and again. Hana had pulled out the big guns to get Thomas to join them. She pushed things off his shelf. Messily examined his drawing and books. Opened random tabs on his computer. Basically she became a cat for ten minutes until Thomas agreed to play one round with her and Lena, who was playing already claimed she got to be in the round. Genji joined as well, claiming that he was 'Tired of practicing on training bots.'

"Bullshit! Forty minutes ago you couldn't even shoot or move, now your flipping and jumping and climbing like a pro!" Thomas shrugged again.

"I do that in real life. Besides, it's just-." Genji interrupted him.

"If you say simple Geometry you will regret it." Thomas met his gaze, a serious note spreading on his face. But Genji was smiling and Thomas realized he was joking. Faking a smile Thomas looked away. Hana walked into the nearby attached kitchen and returned with a bag of puffy chips.

"How are you doing this?" Asked Lena, part curiosity, part accusation.

"Well, this gun has rebounding bullets, and both of you use very close range characters-"

"Avatars!" Hana shouted. "They are called, Avatars!"

"Avatars" Continued Thomas. "So you stick to the sides and near walls. I just fire like this." Thomas fired in the game, watching the bullets bounce down and around the hall.

"And boom, you die. It's math." Thomas felt his smug smile returning, but fought it off. he didn't want to make them too mad. Hana angrily stuffed some chips in her mouth, chewing briefly before speaking to Thomas again.

"It's bullshit, that's what it is. No more bouncy bullets." Hana grabbed another controller, sealing the discarded one to its fate laying against the wall.

"Just because your bad at the game-" Thomas began, almost immediately getting interrupted.

"I AM NOT BAD AT THE GAME! I AM A WORLD RENOWNED GAMER WITH MANY TROPHIES, YOU'RE JUST USING BROKEN GAME MECHANICS!" Hana shouted several more obscenities before calming down. Lena waited a moment before speaking, her eyes wide.

"Lets play rock paper scissors for it." She offered, turning slowly to Thomas. Thomas hesitated, not wanting to speak but deciding he needed to.

"What's Rock paper scissors?" Lena blinked at him, a look of curiosity and suspicion gathering.

"You don't know what rock paper scissors is? What did you grow up under a rock?" Asked Hana, teasing Thomas. Thomas threw as lethal a glare as he dared at her, and watched her smile flicker briefly. It wasn't much, just a waver of the edge of her lip. But Thomas saw it.

"Hana!" Genji and Lena sounded.

"There's is a great difference between being curious, and being rude." Said Genji. Thomas glanced at him, somewhat suspicious of why he would stand up for Thomas. Genji nodded at him, a silent gesture. Of Friendship or acknowledgment Thomas didn't know. Hana smiled widely, leaning back in the couch and taking another handful of chips.

"Genji I cross that line everyday." She munched happily on her chips.

"Tell ya what luv, lets just play tic-tac-toe for it." Thomas shifted somewhat, placing his feet on the floor. Lena's eyes widened.

"You don't know what tic-tac-toe is?" Thomas shook his head. The Lena and Genji both sighed.

"Jeez, do you know anything?" Shot Hana. Thomas glared at her, this time angry.

"Sorry, not everyone got pampered through the Omnic Crises like you Hana. Some of us actually had to fight to live." This time Hana glared at Thomas.

"You think I just slouched my way through the Omnic Crises?!" Accused Hana.

"Well you clearly had more time to do bullshit like play video games instead of fighting." Hana's anger became plain on her face.

"I had to fight to survive! I was on the front lines every time an Omnic attack came through! And where were you? Busy being alone? Or maybe joining Talon?" Thomas snarled, getting to his feet. Seeing the escalating situation Lena and Genji stood up as well, ready to stop the two from fighting.

"Fuck you Hana! You have no idea what made me join Talon!"

"Well it probably wasn't to try and protect people." Hana's voice acquired a teasing tone, and her words became angled to prod and poke and irritate. "I fought for my family, my friends. Only you wouldn't know what that's like. Because you haven't got a family, and you barely have any friends." Thomas lunged at Lena, arms outstretched towards her. She raised her arms to defend herself but Genji and Lena were quicker. Genji stepped in between the two and Lena managed to push Thomas aside without hurting him.

"FUCK YOU BITCH!" Shouted Thomas, standing up straight again. Hana stuck her tongue out at him, enraging Thomas further. Shoving Lena aside Genji lowered into a fighting stance, ready to stop his the two from fighting even if he had to fight them.

At that moment the door slid open, and Jack stepped in. he scanned the room in an instant, seeing the situation. He pointed at Hana, and spoke in his deep commander voice.

"You! Go to your Quarters!" Hana moved to protest, but a single look at her silenced it. Moving to Thomas he spoke again.

"You, come with me. Now." Thomas glared at him, but teenage stubbornness was no match for Drill sergeant glaring. He followed with clear reluctance. Jack led him through the base to his own office. Stepping through the door Jack moved and sat down. Glancing at his decor Thomas felt... uninspired. Considering Jack rank he would have expected something flashier. Bigger. Showier. But instead they had been greeted by a simple receptionist outside his door and inside his office was a wooden desk with a handful of personal mementos. The desk was wood, the type Thomas did not know. A few holo pictures sat on the desk, but Thomas could not see what they were from his side of the desk. In the corner was a large, maybe one hundred gallon, fish tank with a handful of fish that were nearly a foot long. A window looked out onto the mountains.

Sitting down in his seat Jack took a small stack of papers out from under his desk and dropped them on his desk. Not even sparing a glance at Thomas he began reading the first paper in the stack. Standing at his door Thomas leaned against the wall and stared at Jack. This held for four minutes until finally Thomas decided to make the first move.

"Okay, I'll bite. What is it? Your pissed, I get it. Is this my punishment, watching you do paperwork?" Jack glanced up.

"No. I heard what Hana said. Can't say I'm pleased with the reaction, but I understand why you did it." Thomas glanced at the fish tank.

"Okay... and?" Jack gestured at the chair. Hesitating briefly Thomas sat down in it, folding his hands and leaning on the desk. Again Jack began reading the document, and this time Thomas narrowed his eyes and slammed his fist against the table.

"Hey old man, you brought me here so tell me what you want!"

"I don't want anything Thomas. I just needed you where you wouldn't hurt anyone, or get hurt." Thomas scowled and leaned backwards in the chair.

"Whatever. I followed you here. Can I go now?" Jack glanced back at Thomas.

"I'm not mad. Just worried." Jack's voice was quiet and comforting, the calm tone infuriating Thomas.

"Worried about what!" Accused Thomas.

"About you." He countered without missing a beat. That threw Thomas off, and for a moment he couldn't respond.

"Why?"

"Because what she said is unacceptable. And I know why you responded the way you did." Thomas scoffed.

"What do you know." Jack gave Thomas a sympathetic look.

"I know what its like to lose family." Thomas held his gaze when what Gabriel was saying clicked. His eyes widened and he swore quietly.

"Oh... damn. Well...... shit." Jack nodded.

"Yeah. Shit." Thomas shifted uncomfortably, and for several minutes it was quiet.

"How did they... you know."

"Die? I don't know. I had just become Strike Commander, and the North American front line was still up in Quebec. I had no idea the omnics would burst through, breaking apart every defense before they reached the West Virginia-Illinois line. The people of my home, Bloomingdale, along with nearly everyone in Ohio, Quebec, Indiana and Michigan were rounded up and brought to the camps. When Overwatch rescued them, less than a fifth of them remained. My family wasn't a part of the ones we rescued. And my home farm was completely razed in the initial assault. What about you?" Thomas paused.

"I'm Canadian. West Canadian. From Alberta. That should tell you everything." Jack nodded. Canada had been a leading innovator in omnic technology, and as such was hit especially hard in the Omnic wars. The first nation to capitulate and one of the last liberated. The occupation had been so brutal it was known as the Canadian Holocaust by its people and many around the world.

"You're free to go whenever you want. But, if you want to talk more I've got the time." For a brief, indescribable moment Thomas wanted to talk more. To talk about the family he barely remembered. His real family. To talk about the years he spent alone in the blasted ruins of a city the name of which was long since lost. To talk about the time he spent scavenging the land, stealing scraps of food to try and get enough that he wouldn't end up crying himself to sleep because he could feel his body digesting itself to survive. But he didn't. He had permission to leave. That was all he needed.

Rising up out of the seat Thomas moved to the door, hearing Jack speak again.

"If you change your mind, I'm here." The offer was sincere. He could hear it in Jack's voice. So he opened the door and left without another word.

Later.

Ana made a point to stop by and see Thomas. She'd heard through the rumor mill that something dramatic had occurred in the lounge. Something that was uncomfortable enough that not a lot was being said about it. Curious and slightly concerned Ana decided to check on Thomas.

Knocking on his door Ana heard quiet movement before Thomas spoke.

"Come in." The door slid open, and Ana saw Thomas sitting at the desk, a large closed sketchbook on his desk with pencils and a pen on the desk next to it. Thomas's smile wavered briefly at Ana and he turned back to the book.

"Okay its you Ana. I was expecting... someone else." Ana smiled and stepped inside.

"Sorry to disappoint. I heard that something happened in the lounge involving you?" Thomas frowned.

"Yeah... its nothing. Hana and I argued and Jack talked to me." Glancing at the book Ana asked.

"What were you drawing?" She watched his disposition change from pleasant to suspicious in an instant. Before he even meant to Thomas spoke.

"None of your business." Ana narrowed her eyes and gave Thomas the look. You know the one, the one where you said something snarky or rude to you mom or grandparent so they give that 'I'm not going to kill you for saying that, but you have about three seconds to change your tone before I do.' Immediately changing his tone and statement Thomas spoke again.

"I uh... I mean... it's stupid and bad." Ana let her gaze soften, happy at the change.

"I doubt that Thomas. I've seen some of your work before and I think they're very good." Thomas's look changed. He looked somewhat confused and suspicious but happy at the same time. Stepping closer to the book Ana spoke.

"May I see what you were drawing?" Thomas hesitated. If he said no she would almost certainly understand. Waiting a moment longer Ana added.

"If you don't want to you don't have to." And he nodded. Opening the book he flipped past various sketches. Most of which were incomplete, scribbled out or marred in some sort of issue of other. But others were there and complete. Ana saw glimpses of some of then. A drawing of a someone she didn't recognize. A page of hands and eyes. A mountain. He stopped turning the pages at a wide landscape.

It housed a large cabin in the foreground. About three stories tall it looked dilapidated, with sunken railing along the outside and a sagging wall. Snow piled onto its roof, and drifts of snow collected around the edge where excess had slipped down. The wood looked splayed in places and support beams were cracked and splintered. This caused the roof to look sagged as well, and the whole structure looked entirely inhospitable. Similarly in the foreground were clumps of trees, each containing five or six tall pines with snow gripping every branch at once. A dozen of these clumps were scattered about the foreground and background of the wide drawing. Further back, somewhat obscured was a trio of mountain peaks, each one reaching higher than the last. A throng of trees choked the mountains all the way to their peaks, congesting the slopes and choking the peaks themselves. To the right lay a city, though not an intact one. The buildings tall enough to be seen were the burned out hulks of once impressive structures. It reminded Ana strongly of the devastation she'd seen during the Omnic crises. Far above the image clouds that formed a single roiling blanket could be seen just faintly enough to make out the vague shapes. Lifeless marionettes that only found meaning in the meaning assigned to them.

"This is beautiful Thomas. You truly have gift for this." Thomas glanced at it, then back at her, smiling slightly.

"Um- thank you. I- it's... thank you." Ana smiled warmly at him.

"Have you eaten yet Thomas?" Thomas shook his head.

"No... I wasn't really hungry then."

"Would you like to come with me? I would enjoy having some pleasant company." Nodding Ana gestured towards the door and led the young man away, vaguely wondering what significance the drawing had to Thomas.

Later.

"So after stealing the rug, you chased the bear down. For the rug. And in doing so offered it the broom in exchange for the rug. And then?"

"Then the bear took the broom and I got the rug back. Slightly chewed but Jack didn't mind. He saw the whole thing from the cameras. I came in and he had fallen backwards out of his chair laughing." Ana laughed and took a forkful of corn.

"And the bear wanted the rug because?" Thomas shrugged, smiling widely.

"I think it was a game. But I got the rug back mostly intact." Ana laughed again, a gentle and pleasant sound.

"I'll have to send some people out to scan the fence. See if there is a hole in it. I remember when we asked Jesse to do that same thing he managed to get dirt all along the hallway as he carried it, then got it stuck in the door track when he put it back. Jack had to crawl out of his office through the vent, which he then got in." Thomas shook his head while laughing, taking a forkful of his meatloaf. Despite being military food it was easily the best food he'd ever had. A whole world of food past the stale chips and crackers or Talon 'meals' that were given. Honestly even the food here, which he'd heard was seemingly sub-par to other Overwatch base meals, was almost too flavorful for him. He'd more than once forced himself to eat bread or lightly salted crackers to avoid becoming sick as his palette was shocked with a new world of flavors. He'd enjoyed baking before being taken by Talon, but he'd never gotten to cook with such good ingredients. Never fresh milks or butter or anything. Usually a combination of barley various bits he could gather from the supplies he found. Sometimes he made brownies with chocolate, or cookies without eggs. Now he had access to a slew of ingredients... and Thomas was almost afraid to start. Anytime he did something wrong he could blame sub-par equipment or ingredients. But now he had the tools to succeed. Failure would be on him totally. And that scared him.

"Thomas?" Asked Ana gently. Snapping from his thoughts Thomas realized he'd spaced out again.

Sorry, I'm sorry I just..."

"It's okay. That's okay." She said gently, smiling at him.

"I just... think and space out and I..." Ana put a hand on his, holding it gently.

"That's okay Thomas. I'm not angry." Thomas nodded and looked down at his food as he ate.

"I uh." Thomas began before trailing off and not continuing to speak.

"Yes?" Ana coaxed. Thomas looked up and saw how warmly she was smiling, feeling some bit of the warmth go into and reassure him.

"Do you... did you really like the drawing?" Ana laughed gently.

"Absolutely. When you leave Overwatch you should consider becoming an artist. Even if you'd rather run a candy shop, I think you could become a very famous artist drawing like that." Thomas smiled.

"Wait... when I leave Overwatch?" Ana nodded.

"Of course. You agreed to work for us, but its not a life contract. When it expires in three years you could re-enlist or you could go your own way. The point of it was never to keep you with us forever." Thomas sat dumbfounded. Three years. That wasn't that long. Three years. Thomas smiled.

"Three years?" He asked. Ana nodded.

"Yes Thomas. It was a standard writ of service. The only special conditions were that the job was not specified. You could be mechanic, a soldier, a cook. Whatever you want, just submit the forms and you could get your job changed." Thomas nodded again.

"Three years." Ana laughed again.

"Yes Thomas."

Later.

Thomas had no idea the best part of that day would come as a surprise. Or that such an awful day could become so good. He bumped into Amelie. Literally. She looked up, skin still tinged slightly blue. Her eyes were cold and cunning, hiding the powerful mind resting in her head. When she laid eyes on him she smiled wider than Thomas had ever seen.

"Thomas!" She bent over, gathering him in a hug. "I found you oh thank you." Thomas smiled and hugged her back. It felt strange to be hugged, and his body tingled and tensed, expecting the lash of pain that always followed whenever he was touched. But once again it didn't come. Amelie's thick French accent made what she said somewhat difficult to understand.

"Oh Thomas I found you. I heard you were here and I asked Ana to transfer me here."

"I thought you were dead Ami. Talon they- they showed videos. They shot you. I watched it happen I-I thought that you were dead!" Amelie broke the hug, holding Thomas at arms length and putting her hands on his cheeks. She felt warmer. It seemed Talon's process wasn't complete and was almost reversed. Amelie scanned his face, seeing the new wounds he acquired.

"Oh did they hurt you? Talon, Overwatch?!"

"No, Overwatch hasn't hurt me. They found and took me here. I'm okay. What happened to you though?"

"You showed me the tunnels, but you couldn't come with. Oh I'm so sorry I left you Thomas. I ran through the tunnels and they found me, the did shoot me but I got away. They barely hit my shoulder. Didn't even scar. Oh! Olivia is coming as well!" Thomas beamed brighter.

"Oli's here! She went missing in Brazil!"

"Overwatch found all three of us." She hugged him again, holding the smaller man to her. Amelie laughed.

"You're still so short. I thought you promised to grow a little." Thomas laughed.

"I wish. Five foot six. You said that seventeen is when all men grow up." Ami laughed again and hugged him tighter, feeling a few tears gather in her eyes. Thomas had rescued her from Talon's plan to wipe her personality by showing Amelie the tunnels. The escape route he'd been planning to use once free of his shock chip. The one he couldn't, because he'd shown Ami them and alerted Talon to them.

"I missed you. Come on, you need to tell me everything." Ami turned, taking Thomas's hand and pulling him along.

"Now?" He asked. He wanted to get back to his room. Jesse was supposed to come by for another date. Despite the fact he was playing it down he felt is excitement only rising as it got later. He would never admit it to anyone, even himself, but he could feel himself falling for the man. More than once today he'd been by himself, his thoughts drifting until he could feel his cheeks burning as he thought of the man.

"Now." Amelie confirmed. Saying nothing Thomas let himself be led.

4 hours later.

Amelie had reluctantly ended the conversation with Thomas. Ana wanted to talk to her at the shooting range, and even Amelie dared not anger the women who didn't totally trust her. Amelie had been in Overwatch for about ten months, and had developed a relationship with Lena. Since Lena is the adopted daughter of Ana Amari Ana and Amelie had somewhat of a falling out. It was clear Ana considered Amelie a much greater threat than she did Thomas or Olivia. Ana entered the room, the door sliding open and closed.

"Hello Ana." Her gaze wandered over to the scoreboard, where Amelie had hit every shot perfectly except two. Those two shots kept Amelie from usurping Ana's position at the top of the leader board.

"It is good to see you again Amelie."

"As it is to you." Amelie responded. The air seemed to grow cloudy as the two women made carefully measured movements. It was a silent power play. Ana was in charge, no doubt about it. But Amelie was a grown women, and unlike Thomas or Olivia she was not as respondent to compassion. She appreciated it, but it didn't go as far.

"I had a question. Regarding Thomas." Amelie nodded and continued firing. She hit the target in the chest just below its neck, and the points went onto the score board.

"Very well. I will save you the effort. Don't try to control him. Don't hover over him. He'll chaff. All you need to know is that he'll open up if he trusts you. And all you need to do to get him to trust you, is trust him. He talked about you earlier, and he likes you. That means you're doing well. Keep being kind and trusting towards him, and maybe one day he'll hug you when he sees you as well." The final bit was a little nip at Ana. Ana's passive face didn't change except for a small twitch that went unobserved by Amelie.

"If you really care" She continued. "Give him time and kindness. Eat some meals with him. Treat him like a person. The rest will occur naturally." Nodding Ana spoke.

"Very well. Thank you Amelie." She turned to the door and paused.

"Have a good night." She said quietly, then disappeared through the door.

Three hours later.

Jesse was so fucking late. Like really late. The kind of late that makes you sweat and makes every second shorter. He'd been helping Gabe and Reinhardt transfer packages for an upcoming mission, and Jesse knew better than to ask to leave early. Every bit of work he missed the other two would need to do. And now Jesse was all but running to meet Thomas. The younger man had been on his mind all day. His cheek still tingled where Thomas had given him a brief kiss. It was his laugh. When he really laughed, not the brief polite chuckle but a real deep and rich laugh. That what sold him. Jesse wanted to hear that everyday for the rest of his life. His mother used to tell him:

'Jesse there are three rules to dating. Don't cheat, don't be a dick and don't be late.' If Jesse's mother was there she would smack him in the head. Jesse smelled a whiff of something foul. He'd showered before leaving. Walking down the hallway Jesse almost walked past the door to his room while he was trying to figure our if he smelled or not. Knocking on the door there was no response, and a single bead of sweat dripped down his face. Or maybe that was water from his not totally dry hair. The door slid open, revealing Thomas. His hair was messy and in some areas puffed up. He had a loose fitting black T-shirt on with a few small holes in it and boxers. Seeing Jesse he made a peeping sound and ducked behind the door frame, hiding most of his skinny frame from view.

"What are you doing here?" He hissed, keeping his voice quiet. Aside from another person at the end of the hall all the rooms were empty, but it was still late. Jesse blinked and smiled.

"You didn't think I'd just ignore our date did you?" Now it was Thomas's turn to blink.

"It's-" He glanced at the wall where his clock was. "One in the morning! I thought you weren't interested."

"How could I not be interested in you." Thomas held his gaze, watching the smug smile grow a little the longer it took him to respond. Finally he shook his head.

"Do you have a plan or did you just come to confirm you're late?" Jesse smirked, batting aside the hostility and putting a hand on the doorway.

"Actually I came looking for a kind man who kissed me on the cheek the other night. You know where I might find him?" Jesse delighted at the gentle hint of red that danced on Thomas's cheek.

"Yeah... hold on a second." The door closed, and after about two minutes Thomas stepped out. He had on a better fitting clothes and pants, both in a dark brown. They complemented the brown of his hair and the Hazel-Green of his eyes.

"Okay. So where we going?" Jesse smiled. It was a bit late for food, but Jesse had another idea.

"Follow me sweetie."

"Don't call me that."

"Okay Darlin." Thomas sighed but figured if he protested again it would only get worse.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I was thinking about this story and day dreaming while working on other stuff, and I realized I accidentally made Thomas an Anime character. I had a lore reason for silver hair, but have since forgotten the reason and cant find it again, so I'm striking it. Thomas has brown hair, make it like chestnut brown. Any mention of silver hair is now meant to be brown, and if I missed any and called his hair silver I apologize, I scanned through the work to re-write it and if I missed any I apologize, please comment it down below. If you made it this far then wow. I am very impressed because my chapters are way to long and I have no idea how to properly shorten them. At this moment this work has 34 thousand words and four chapters, while other works have the same amount in 10 chapters. Thnx for reading and enjoy.

"Okay, keep your arms loose. Don't close your eyes. The kick on this is gonna be a lot like a rifle so keep your grip tight." Thomas scoffed and shrugged, shaking Jesse's grip on his shoulders off.

"Jesse, you realize this is the same advice you gave me the last three times?"

"Yes Thomas. And you realize If you drop my gun again because you underestimate the recoil your gonna get a basic pistol and start there." Thomas grinned.

"It was an accident." He heard Jesse scoff.

"Uh huh. Well there ain't gonna be no more accidents. Now, squeeze the trigger gently." Thomas did so, jarring his arms from the retort and recoil. For a second he didn't see where the bullet landed, but after searching Thomas discovered he had once again missed by a large margin. The target, which hung 10 yards away, was undamaged, almost mocking in its intact state. Thomas's gaze hardened, the smile falling away. He fired rifles for fucks sake, how was this stupid revolver so difficult?

"Quit frowning darlin. You look better with a smile. Besides I didn't become a deadeye overnight." Thomas glanced at him.

"Oh so you're a deadeye now? I thought you were an expert marksman." Jesse's smugness emanated off him.

"Why Thomas, I think you'll find I'm a man of many talents." The door to the shooting range opened, but Thomas ignored the distraction. He was focused on hitting this target if it killed him.

"Okay, you're in a good firing position. Let's try it again. Squeeze the trigger and..." The shot rang out, the now familiar ring piercing the near silence of the room. The bullet again missed, slamming into the soft and absorbent wall down range. The target itself still hung undamaged.

"And that's 0 for 5." Jesse put a hand on Thomas's shoulder, earning a hostile gaze from the younger man. Jesse smiled at Thomas, and the corners of Thomas's mouth raised up a little. Turning back towards the target Thomas aimed again.

"Hold your gaze. Steady, breathe in and out." Thomas glanced at Jesse but did as he said, taking a deep breathe and focusing before he fired. It missed. A lot. Again. Thomas swore loudly, not letting the pistol fall but stomping his foot. Taking his stance again Thomas aimed at the target, anger fueled determination fueling him. He felt it. He was gonna nail the target. Right between the eyes. Wild west style.

"Thomas-"

"Shhhh. I got this."

"Thomas th-"

"Not now. I'm in the zone." Jesse sighed and waited for Thomas. He focused, squeezing the trigger to a resounding click. Glancing at the weapon in confusion Jesse lowered the guns barrel.

"Needs to be reloaded." An embarrassed blush snuck upon his cheek as he handed the weapon over. Jesse reloaded with practiced efficiency and modest flare, handing the weapon back to Thomas in less than two seconds. Bringing the weapon up again Thomas heard someone speak.

"You two make cute boyfriends." At the word boyfriend Thomas jumped, pulling the trigger by accident and and hitting target in the shoulder.

"You hit it! Good job darlin."Said Jesse. The voice, which belonged to Fareeha, cracked up behind them. Turning he saw Fareeha, smiling widely and leaning against a wall.

"Boyfriend?!" Fareeha grinned.

"The only way that Jesse ever lets anyone touch his gun is if he's dating them. Ever." Jesse put an arm around Thomas's shoulder, which caused Fareeha to laugh harder as she saw a five foot six Thomas with six foot two Jesse next to him.

"I let other people touch my gun."

"You almost broke Jonathon's thumb because he touched your gun. Then you told him if anyone touched your gun in anything less than a life or death situation, you would make it life or death." Jesse grinned widely.

"I remember that." Thomas interrupted them.

"Don't tell people." Thomas said. Fareeha's smile vanished and Jesse looked at Thomas with a similar concerned look.

"Wait why? People don't care if your gay. Least not most of 'em." Said Fareeha. With their combined attention on them Thomas felt a his voice diminish.

"I just, I..." Thomas trailed off and closed his mouth, unable to form a proper sentence. He made some errant gesture with my hands and sighed quietly, filled with sudden regret at being in this situation.

"You've been bullied for being gay before." Said Fareeha. It wasn't a question, and Thomas looked away.

"I won't tell anyone. Not until you're ready." Thomas smiled at her, appreciative. Jesse promised the same, and with some confidence restored Jesse continued teaching him to shoot. After another hour Thomas yawned loudly, triggering a similar response in Jesse. Fareeha had left by that point. Jesse decided to escort Thomas back to his room. When they arrived he smiled at the smaller man, who returned the favor.

"I won't tell people until you're ready darlin." Thomas nodded.

"Thanks... I wasn't even sure I was gay or not until our date. And when I kissed your cheek." Jesse smiled wider.

"Wait, was that your first kiss?" Thomas looked up at him accusingly but nodded. Jesse smiled, stood up straight kissed him on the lips. It was all lips, and lasted no longer than five seconds. He withdrew to a bright red Thomas, smiling widely.

"That's a proper first kiss. And a reminder I'll wait for you." He tipped the edge of his hat at the younger man and wished him goodnight before Thomas closed the door. He touched his lips and let out a rapid sort of giggle, smiling stupidly to himself.

Later

As much as Thomas hated using a sword, it was effective against Omnics. Talon had forced him to use to weapon, deciding they had enough gun focused assassins and they needed a melee assassin. Said it left a better impression when the target was in pieces rather than with a hole in them. He was good with the weapon. Talon at least had the courtesy to make one he could actually reliably use. The first time. He had broken that one on a wall by accident, a brutally punished mistake. A phantom pain sprouted from his chest from the memory.

Using his sword he knocked away one of the sparring robots swords. The blade stayed in the robots hands, but its ability to block was destroyed. Twisting his weapon Thomas arced his blade upwards, catching the robot across the chest. It fell backwards, collapsing on the ground. The wound began sealing itself on the ground, but Thomas was focusing on the next two robots. Both of them had knifes equipped. Swinging the blade the first robot caught it in the arm, lunging forward with a knife. Thomas summoned his hammer and swung it, crushing the robots hand. Thomas kicked the second robot, forcing it to stumble backwards. Swinging his hammer Thomas caught the first robots head, smashing the face plate in. With his sword freed he swung hard, decapitating the second robot. It collapsed into itself, falling in a pile on the ground.

Clapping was heard in the room, and Thomas spun around, confusion and anger sprouting as he saw Jack.

"Very good Thomas. Could be quicker but not a bad show." Thomas frowned at him, turning away to a bench that had a towel and his sheathe on it.

"Thanks. I'm happy you enjoyed it. What do you want?" Jack raised an eyebrow at Thomas but continued.

"I just need you to come with me." Thomas rolled his eyes toweled off his head.

"Great. More custodial work. Don't you have someone else to bother?"

"Did I do something Thomas? As far as I recall I've been fair and pleasant to you." Thomas turned to him.

"Yeah. It's your fault I'm here. I signed the paper. I'm in Overwatch for three years. Don't expect me to be happy about it. And don't expect me to 'pleasant' to you." Thomas turned back to the bench and his stuff, setting the towel down and sheathing the sword. Behind him Jack was frowning sadly.

"I realize this won't mean much to you, but I am sorry. This wasn't meant to enslave you, or force you to fight for Overwatch. It was meant to give you a second chance. Think about it Thomas, what would you have done if we let you go?" Thomas stopped moving.

"I would have left." He said quietly.

"For where?" Thomas mumbled something.

"Where Thomas?" Jack continued. Thomas turned around, anger spread across his features.

"I don't fucking know okay! I didn't have a plan, I have no where to go, and no one to turn to! Is that what you wanted to hear?!" That sad and hurt look on Jack's face made some of Thomas's anger dissipate, despite the fact he didn't want it to.

"You don't have to be alone anymore Thomas." Jack said quietly. Thomas felt those words rattle in his head. They left a bad feeling in his head.

"What do you want Jack?" Thomas asked, his voice full of hostility. Jack's shoulders slumped so slightly Thomas didn't notice.

"I need you to follow me." Jack said quietly, before turning and walking towards the door. Thomas grabbed his sword and towel and began to follow him. Surprisingly Thomas saw no one on the trip, and he was lead to a wing of the base he hadn't been in before. It was restricted, at least to him. Jack led him down the corridors to a room, beckoning him inside. Thomas stepped in after a moments hesitation, and was shocked by the room. It was a computer room, filled to the brim with floor to ceiling computers. Wires ran up and down, into the ceiling and floor of the room to a wall of monitors. Most had lines and text crawling across them faster than Thomas could read. He scanned the room, and saw a familiar face.

"Oli?" He asked. Olivia, better known as Sombra, turned and smiled at him.

"Thomas." She jumped up and rushed forward to hug him. He hugged her back without hesitation. Olivia looked different. She was taller and her hair was a different color than it had been before. Now it was a light purple with blue accents.

"How's my favorite pasty white boy?" Thomas smiled.

"It hasn't been the best month. How are you in here? This place is restricted." Olivia scoffed.

"They let me do a lot of tech work for them. Heavily supervised though." Olivia took his hand and moved over to her seat, sitting him down next to her.

"Why do you a new scar? I told you to stop getting hurt at least a hundred times." Thomas moved her hand away from the scar that followed his chin nearly to his ear.

"It's not my fault. You know how walls jump out in front of me. This time it was a roof." Olivia laughed lightly.

"Conejito, this is why the nickname fits you."

"Little bunny? Come on Oli I should have something dignified." Olivia snorted.

"When you stop headbutting architecture I'll find a new name." Thomas's smile wavered, enough that Olivia noticed. Her own smile faltered as well.

"What's wrong Thomas?" He looked back at her, meeting her gaze.

"Where did you go?" She smiled sadly.

"I left when I saw the opportunity. They let their guard down for a moment. It was all I needed. A flick of the wrist and the chip was deactivated. A moment later I was invisible. They tried to find me, but I grew up there. They couldn't have found me if I wanted them to. I made my way north over the next two weeks, and contacted Amelie on the number she gave us. Now here I am." A cough broke the conversation, and Jack spoke.

"If this conversation could continue in a different, less restricted room." Thomas shot him an angry look, but Olivia nodded.

"Let's get something to eat Thomas." And they were gone. Jack made sure they left the restricted area and nodded, moving away to his office. He entered the room to see Gabriel sitting in his chair, feet on the desk, talking to Ana. A flare of annoyance popped up before he realized what Gabe was doing. He was going to get it later.

"Afternoon. Scoot Gabe." He smiled and pushed away from the desk, taking the rolling chair with him. Letting out an annoyed breathe of air Jack leaned on the desk. Several pictures of aged cargo freighters were on the desk, as well as blown up high altitude photos and various faces.

"These are the people you requested. Those weapons that flooded Miami two weeks ago came from this group. They call themselves the Clubs. They are based out of this ship." Ana pointed at one of the cargo ships.

"And that ship." Ana continued. "Is currently based in Lisbon. You wanted to take the lead on this mission, and the details are all in place. If you want to continue, then we need to talk." jack raised an eyebrow at Ana. She was sitting professionally in the chair. Her back was straight and she looked him the eye.

"What's wrong?"

"Jesse can't go with you. He's on the Denmark mission. Hanzo got hurt, and is incapacitated for the next week. Genji is similarly indisposed on a mission, as is Lena, Fareeha and ourselves." Jack nodded. That was most of the people he trusted closely, leaving few people he could bring with him.

"There is good with this bad news." Said Ana.

"The good news." Began Gabriel. "Is that we have someone who is competent in stealth and infiltration and even speaks Portuguese." Jack nodded, feeling a but at the end of this.

"The bad news, is that it's Thomas." Jack sighed at Ana's words.

"No one else?"

"Oh there are many people who could go. But we have no idea how long the Clubs are staying in Lisbon. And once at sea we will almost certainly lose them. No one else on base fits the criteria in the same manner that is not previously engaged." Nodding to himself Jack put his fingers to his head.

"Tell Thomas he has a mission please Ana." Ana nodded and rose from the seat before Jack stopped her.

"He's with Olivia at the moment. Let them reunite for now. I have work to do as well." Ana hesitated, an additional question on her lips. She bit it down and left without another word, not entirely pleased at the tense tone of the conversation and replaying it in her head. Inside the room Jack waited until even Ana's hearing, trained by decades of soldiering, wouldn't hear him.

"You chose a particularly bad day to be playful." he said quietly. Gabe's smile fell, and he leaned in closer to his husband.

"What's wrong?" Jack hesitated.

"It's Thomas. I spoke with him before leading him to Olivia. He is... resentful. And I think that being in Overwatch is making him confront things he isn't ready to." Gabriel offered his husband a reassuring smile and got up, wrapping his arms around the barely smaller man.

"Give him time. It took Jesse a long while to adjust, and its taking Olivia awhile as well. He'll come around. In the mean time." Gabriel kissed the nape of Jack's neck, and Jack let out a quiet sigh.

"You know I have to work. Tease." Gabriel smiled and withdrew his arms.

"Love you to dear."


	6. Chapter 6

"So how am I, a five foot six brown hair 120 pound teen, supposed to be the estranged biological son of the a six foot four, however many hundreds of pounds blonde hair blue eyes you?" I closed the small packet and set it on the console, crossing my arms and looking at Jack. Jack shook his head.

"Look kid, just play the part and we'll be fine. I have the alterer. It will change my facial features just enough to look like someone else. It's not like people are going to read into the story's. I've done this before, the security will scan the passports for discrepancies, will note we have the same last name and move on. You left your weapons like I said. Right?" I nodded.

"Yes, I left every weapon I have experience with back at base. Now all I have are the bow, hammer and whatever you packed in that bag. Are they going to check the bag?"

"Of course they are. But they won't find anything. Now, let's go over it again. Your name is what?"

"Jeez Jack, we've done this four times in-" Jack interrupted me.

"And we are going to go over it again, so you are?"

"Fine, I am Alexander Smith, real original name right their. And you are Johnathon Smith, again real original in the name category. We are spending one week, possibly more in Lisbon Portugal and no one else is going to care about why."

"Thomas." Jack, or for the next week John tone indicated he wasn't interested in me arguing with him.

"And you are my very estranged father. That part shouldn't be difficult for me." I added in the last part quietly but loud enough I knew Jack could hear.

"Good. Look kid I'm not very happy about this either. It's last minute and you are far from my first choice in reliable partners. But this is how its going to be, so we may as well get used to it. I don't know how I let Ana talk me or you into this."

"She can be persuasive." Jack smiled.

"She gave you the mom stare didn't you?"

"No! She talked to me like an adult." Jack chuckled.

"Yep. She gave you the mom stare and it worked! I don't believe it!" I glared at Jack, who was shaking his head in amusement.

"You know, estranged son doesn't usually mean well behaved. If you really want this to be pleasant than stop." Jack titled his head back in laughter, briefly hitting a button. He turned to me.

"Do you even know how to pull off the spoiled kid act?" I slumped back into the seat.

"No. But I've seen it enough to have an idea." Jack calmed his laughing and hit a button. The seat turned around.

"JACK! THE ROAD!' Jack looked at me.

"Kid, autopilot. We've got another twenty minutes of highway before we reach our stop okay. Relax." He began to rummage through his bag. I began going through my phone games for something to do. After several minutes I heard the bag zip shut and another open. After a few seconds I remembered we only had the two bags between us. I turned in my seat to see Jack going through my bag.

"Hey! But out!" I turned around in my seat, unsure of how to rotate it like Jacks.

"Calm down kid. The TSA will give us hell if we aren't packed right. I'm just making sure you're packed."

"Well I can do that myself!" Jack waved away my hand, which was reaching for the duffel bag.

"Stop shouting. Your voice hasn't dropped enough for it to be effective. See? STOP SHOUTING!" Jack screamed at me. I jumped back, dropping my phone while he smiled.

"See. Drill instructor voice. That's how you shout at someone." He turned back to my bag.

"Damn Jack. I think my ears are ringing."

"Stop being over dramatic about it. Anyway, not bad. All your items are regulation size." I scoffed and grabbed my phone off the mat on the floor.

"Yeah, well I spent the last six hours packing and researching travel restrictions." Jack stopped rummaging.

"Is this the first time you've flown on a passenger plane?" I turned back to Jack and scoffed.

"So what."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Why do you have so much peanut butter?"

"Hey, peanut butter is great. I lived off of fruit, peanut butter and crackers for two and a half months once. It's really nutrient dense. And its only two containers. They aren't even that big. I also have a few changes of clothes, crackers, granola bars and some water bottles."

"I see that. Good." I turned away and settled back into the seat. It was to stiff, sitting at nearly a right angle and I slouched down in it. It was a poor attempt and created very little extra comfort. That, plus the lack of proper elbow rests made this care just like Jack. Lacking creature comforts, uptight and uncomfortable to be around. Or even in proximity to. The car itself continued driving itself, a feature which amazed me and I pulled up Stellaris on my phone, shifting several times in the polyester seat. After a few Jack spoke, from right next to my head.

"What game is that?" I recoiled to the right, pulling the phone to my chest while simultaneously pausing the game.

"Holy fuck stop fucking doing that!" Jack smirked at me.

"You are really jumpy, you know that?" I rolled my eyes.

"Well it's not without reason! And besides, since when do care what I'm doing?" Jack straightened himself upright in his chair.

"Kid, we are going to be stuck together for at least a week. Let's try to get along okay. Meet me half way here." I settled backwards into the chair and looked at Jack.

"Fine. I guess. It's called Stellaris..."

Same time Jack POV.

I felt a smile grow on my face listening to Thomas talk about his game. Despite his passion for profanity and his stubbornness he was still barely an adult, and in many aspects very childish. The game was surprisingly complex and listening to Thomas talk about different features with a second handed simplicity brought no small amount of both surprise and a little pride. I wasn't sure why I felt pride in this simple thing was unknown to me.

"So what effect does your leader have?"

"Well, it's a lot like real life actually. Different leaders have different beliefs on war, trade and other things. You can spend influence, which you earn by doing tasks for your people and making factions happy, to elect leaders you like. Or at least I can because in my empire elections are a thing."

"So you can create any empire you want?" Thomas nodded.

"Yeah, you can be a wide variety of empires, from dictatorships, democracies, technocracies and a whole slew, I'm a rational consensus, because I value logic, reason and first person democracy." Thomas continued to talk about the inner workings of the game, with myself asking an occasional question when he would slowly begin to fall silent. Years of diplomacy had taught me that one of the best ways to ease tension with someone was to get them talking about things they like. Still, for a video game I found myself interested in it. Thomas continued talking until the car pulled into the airport drop off. Thomas grabbed his bag as I grabbed mine and we exited the vehicle for the cold outside air.

"So? The car that drives itself will drive itself home?" Home. A very simple word, but one that certainly held a lot of meaning for Thomas, or one that meant absolutely nothing. I had yet to judge some of the finer aspects of his character, but I hoped it meant the former.

"Yep. Now follow me and stick close behind. Be polite to anyone who looks important, and probably anyone else and-" Thomas interrupted me as he adjusted his bag and shut the car door.

"John, I know how to be polite, I choose not to. Now let's go." He turned and set off across the snow for the crowded front gate. The car pulled away and began driving down the road, quickly becoming lost in the sea of traffic lights. I turned after Thomas and set off. Flying at night was certainly not a favorite thing for me to do, even on a civilian airliner, but the mixture of gentle snow flurry, setting sun casting gold light and long stretching shadows made a picturesque scene. Thomas turned at the entrance of the airport and raised his arms up, signalling dissatisfaction at my lounging in place.

"Come on John, you're too old to stand still! You'll freeze!" It suddenly occurred to me that I told a kid who already doesn't like me to act like he really doesn't like me. Setting off after Thomas I felt the weight of my decision suddenly fall on me.

After four hours of delays, witnessing two fights break out, two handsy TSA agents searching me for contraband, a seven hour flight in a cramped window seat with a tray table that stuck into my knee and an immobile chair made of some of the worst material I'd ever felt in my life and then another two hours of delay in getting a cab to the hotel I felt more exhausted than I had in a long time. Thomas was surprisingly silent, only speaking when spoken to and even then briefly. He read the whole flight here and every answer he had was just ever so slightly snarky and sarcastic. I could not really tell whether he was acting his part or acting normal. He never hesitated when he was asked by his pseudo name Alex, looking up whenever I said it. By the time we reached the hotel he smiled for the first time.

"Finally, somewhere with a seat that isn't totally upright." Thomas hoisted his bag again, readjusting it on his shoulder and stepping into the hotel. It was a nice building, and a large improvement over the plane. A grand arch signaled the entrance to the building and large tinted glass windows revealed the inner reservation area. I paid the gruff female cab driver and hoisted my bag as well before walking to the front entrance. As soon as the door opened a blast of hot air hit me. The inside of the hotel was a plastered decadence, with fake plants dotting the walls and the carpets were a glorious red which led from the door to the main desk. Thomas was looking at one of the many pictures which dotted the walls with feigned interest and turned to me as soon as I entered.

"There you are John, cold ain't good for the old joints are they?" He smirked and fell into step next to me. I remained quiet and walked up to the receptionist, fishing the proper information out.

"Olá! Welcome to Tivoli Avenida. I see you have your information already, if you would." The women extended her hands, revealing long pink nails with blue dots on them. She smiled with extremely bright white teeth. Handing her the information she pursed through it for several moments before typing on her computer, checking several things and returning the information to me.

"I'm sorry, there is a problem with your information and the reservation, you see since it was made so short notice you've been temporarily moved to another room."

"That's fine." She smiled again.

"Excellent! Here is your new room number and key, if you have any questions please contact us. Their is a free breakfast from six to ten each morning. Enjoy your stay." She took a key and handed it to Thomas. I noticed it had a small piece of paper attached to it. I also noticed she winked at him. Alex took the key looked at me. I turned without a word and headed for the elevator. Once on board he looked at the paper. It had a number on it with the words call me next to it. He looked up at me.

"Well. This is awkward." I smiled at him.

"Why? I thought she was cute."

"One, your probably twice her age so that's gross. Two I'm from a different country. Kinda long distance." I chuckled.

"Yeah, probably." The elevator continued before opening the doors after a quiet ding. More bright red carpet adorned the floors and yet more plants crowded the walls. No pictures hung here.

"So, what room are we?" I examined the piece of paper I had received and read it our.

"Room 46. Fourth floor, left side. Oh, it's ocean view at least." Thomas nodded and walked off down the hall at a brisk pace. Once he reached the door he used the key and opened it before his shoulders sagged.

"God dammit." I looked into the room and felt similar dismay. Only one bed adorned the room, though their looked to be enough room for two.

"Well john, the gave us a different room. This is why you don't plan an inter-continental trip on short notice."

"Yeah, you got me there." I entered the room and surveyed it. Only one bed adorned the relatively large room yet two nightstands still adorned the room, with one of them sitting independently just left of the center of the room. A single wall mounted television of a small size hung from the wall in front of the one bed. Thomas immediately began searching around the room, checking under things and behind different pieces of furniture for bugs, as had been planned.

"Well John, I can sleep on the floor." That actually surprised me. I expected Thomas to jump on the bed and lay claim.

"Alex, you don't-"

"No thanks. I'm not sleeping with you."

"That wasn't what I meant. I meant you sleep on the bed."

"Nope." I looked back at him and he fell back onto a large plush chair. Thomas reclined in it and stretched out, closing his eyes and smiling contentedly.

"Why?" Thomas frowned and opened one eye.

"I have my reasons okay. Plus, this chair is super comfy." I shook my head.

'Fine. The kid wants to sleep on the chair let him.' I thought to myself. I sat down on the bed, hearing it groan under my weight. At least it was fairly soft and comfortable. After a few moments Thomas sat up and went over to the small fridge in the corner of the room. After a moment he sat stood back up, holding a bottle.

"Central de Cervejas. Never had a Portuguese beer before." He took the bottle cap opener and popped it open. I sat back up on the bed.

"Hey! Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" Thomas smirked at me.

"Portuguese drinking age is 18. That's why it's here." He took a sip of the beer before making a face.

"Ehh. I've had better. Still not bad though." Thomas took another sip and started walking back to the chair. I got up and intercepted him before he could.

"You shouldn't be drinking. It's a big day tomorrow." Thomas scoffed and took a long sip from the bottle before responding. I had to resist snatching the bottle from his hands.

"It's one beer John. I've had a lot more."

"You also weigh one hundred twenty pounds. One beer to you has a big effect." Thomas shrugged his shoulders.

"Again John, I've had more with very little effect. I'll be fine." I weighed my options. I could take the bottle by force, but something told me it would end in arguing and fighting. Or I could back down from his challenge. Neither were good choices. Ultimately, I decided to do something that violated everything I'd learned over my years as acting commander of Overwatch. I backed down.

"Fine. I trust you." Thomas blinked.

"You do?" I nodded before stepping away and returning to the bed. Thomas watched me go and stood there, temporarily dumbfounded. After a moment he sat down in the seat, setting the drink on a coaster on a small table near it. He looked at me and took the remote for the television. After a moment he turned on the wall mounted unit. A cooking show with an omnic host turned on and he took the accompanying guide to the unit. For the next several minutes the drink lay ignored on the coaster, slowly sweating a puddle. Thomas flipped through the guide, occasionally changing channels if something hit a commercial or he lost interest. I lay on the bed. It was certainly soft and plush, but the sheets felt almost rubbery.

'They're probably rubber, or waterproof.' I thought to myself. A little while longer passed before Thomas's stomach rumbled loudly. Thomas didn't move and continued to flip through the guide, ignoring his bodies protest.

"Hey Alex? You hungry?"

"I could eat." He got up and grabbed his bag, opening up his plastic bag full of food.

"Kid, we can go get some hot food." He looked up and shrugged.

"I'm good with this. And quit calling me kid. Just because your old doesn't mean you can use it against me." I felt my left eye twitch ever so slightly, but it went unnoticed. I rose up from the bed and grabbed my blue jacket.

"Come on kid. We can get some food. Ever had Portuguese?"

"Nope. We don't have to. I have food."

"Come on. My treat. Please." Thomas looked up for a moment before returning his food and grabbing his green Jacket.

"Well, if you're buying. No seafood though. And nothing raw. I may be Canadian but that doesn't mean I enjoy raw food." I smiled.

"You're Canadian? I thought you were American." Thomas shook his head while putting his arm in his jacket.

"Nope. Canadian." As he finished repacking his food into the bag something clicked. 'He shared something with me. Something little, but still something.' I thought.

2 hours later. Thomas POV

"Night kid" Well, he was still calling me kid. But he seemed... nicer. He wasn't so scolding as I thought, but I'd only been with him a little while. All of this ran through my head as I lay on the chair, settling into position. The chair was plush, but the material stuck to my skin, the more I stayed still the worse it stuck. Luckily I still wore my jacket and pants, so wrapping the thin sheet around me allowed me to keep from sticking to the fabric. I looked around the now dark room over to Jacks already sleeping form.

'At least he doesn't snore.' I shifted again and settled into the chair before closing my eyes.

6 hours later, Jack POV.

It's so cold. It wasn't snowing yet, but a swept from the mountains onto the large city. I sat straight up on the bed, gazing through the darkness of the room. The window tinters were at full, filtering out over 99% of light before it entered the room. I checked my watch, which read 8:30 A.M.

"That's probably the fullest night sleep I've had in a long while." I said. No response sounded out. I looked over to the chair, seeing nothing in it.

"Great. The kids already gone."

'Of course he is. He's probably getting into trouble and-' I heard a quiet sighing sounded. Swinging my feet over the edge of the bed I stood up and checked on him. He was curled up tightly into a ball with his thin sheet covering the lower half of his body. He was shivering. After a moments hesitation I grabbed a blanket from the small cabinet that held extra towels and blankets. I took it and placed it over Thomas's sleeping form. He sighed again and stretched out. He was still asleep, but now he was not curled up so tightly. I smirked and turned away, grabbing my alterer and inserting it just above and behind my ear. I felt a slight buzzing and shocking sensation for several seconds before it stopped. After checking to see that Thomas was still fast asleep.

'You're going to be down in the lobby. There's no reason he should be there when the bed is empty.' After mulling it over for a moment I stepped back over to Thomas's sleeping form and carefully lifted him up. He sighed and pressed himself against me, seeking out the warmth I doubtlessly provided. Thomas's head rested comfortably on the crook of my arm. I set him down on the bed and lay the extra blanket on top of him, watching him re-settle on the bed for a moment before turning to the door and opening it. As I made my way to the elevator I couldn't help but think: 'Why did I do that?'

One hour later. Thomas POV.

Blinking open my eyes I felt a incredibly warm, not uncomfortably, but hotter than I would like. I sat up and heard quiet creaking. I pressed my hand on to the bed, feeling its soft material.

"Did Jack... did I?" I yawned and stretched out. 'Either I've taken up sleepwalking, or jack put me here. But how did he move me without waking me?' I shrugged and rose off the soft bed. After twenty minutes I finished showering and put on a fresh pair of brown pants, black shirt and boots and exited the room, taking a moment to lock it before turning to the stairwell.

"Now, if I was a middle aged john, where would I go?" After a moment I made it to the stairs and shrugged.

"Eh, he has a phone. He'll call me if he wants me." The stair well was dark and very cold. I zipped up my jacket and continued down. Once I reached ground level I exited and stepped into the lobby, noting the women who talked to me and gave me her number was thankfully absent. I looked around, briefly examining the room before following a sign to the breakfast hall. Jack was no where to be seen and I felt frustrated that he left nothing for me to ascertain his fate. Once I entered the room I saw that there were few people present, and even fewer items left over. Most of the several platters were empty, and the one which did still have food on it was occupied by some local item, which upon my inspection I discovered was both cream filled and extremely soggy.

"That is a great way to start the day." I wiped the cold filling off my hand and onto a napkin and turned back around, nearly falling backwards. Jack stood in front of me, smirking down at me.

"Hey kid."

"Damnit John! Don't sneak up on me like that." A black couple looked over at me and frowned. I stared back at them before they turned away. The man said something I missed to the women, who smiled.

"Keep your voice down kid. It's rude to shout in public." I rolled my eyes and stepped around Jacks large form, walking towards the elevator.

"Like you're one to lecture me on what's rude." Jack turned around to follow me.

"Look, like it or not we are gonna be with each other for awhile, especially once we get home." I scoffed. Pressing the cool button I waited on the elevator to arrive.

"Uh huh. Don't lecture me on why I need to make this work. It's your fault I'm in this situation. If it weren't for you I could be anywhere else." Now Jack scoffed.

"Right. Doing what? Drugs? Drinking? Committing crimes. Or maybe joining a terrorist organization." I paused, resisting the urge to slap him. Rather, I turned around to face him.

"Never say that again. You have no idea why I did the things I did. Never presume to know, because you don't. Nobody knows exactly what I did or why." I stared at Jack for several seconds. Jack stopped smiling and regret seemed to form across his face. II stepped into the elevator, followed after a brief moment by Jack. He waited until the elevator dinged and the door opened before speaking again.

"Alex. I'm sorry, I d-"

"Save it. You can't change those decisions even if you wanted to." Jack continued following me, but I had the distinct feeling that this wasn't over. After several minutes of him following me I had returned to the room to grab my jacket. When I turned around Jack stood in the door frame, sufficiently blocking my exit with his own frame.

"You mind moving?"

"Alex. I don't want this to be more difficult-" I interrupted.

"Nothings gonna be difficult John. I'm gonna do my own thing, you can do your own thing. We don't need to be in each others ways or vicinity."

"Alex, I want to be around you. I just... I get frustrated. You just ignore most of what I say and are sarcastic to the rest of it."

"And why do I need to listen to you? Just because you're old and made stupid mistakes doesn't mean I will." I stepped under and around him, barely fitting between him and the door frame. He turned.

"You see. Right there you sound like a fool. You should respect-"

"Respect what? A has been who gets his authority kicks pushing around people half his age? When was the last time you did something worthwhile besides giving your little band of workers orders and filing paperwork. I sure haven't seen you do much else." I reached the elevator again and hit the button.

"Is that all you think I do? File paper work and give my construction team orders?" I laughed.

"Well, I sure haven't seen you do much else. When I first met you I was excited. But every since that first day when I agreed to go with you, all you've done is criticize me and point out flaws in everything I do. 'Lift with your knees. Do it like this.' Nothing I've done has been good enough. I thought you be different than all the others. but you're not. All you care about is results and authority. Now, I have to go." I stepped backwards into the elevator and hit the lobby button, watching Jacks stunned face disappear. I hadn't meant to go that far. I meant to just play the part, but the rest of how I felt about him just... fit.

'I wondered if he knew I was talking about him in reality.' I thought, leaning back on the hand hold. The doors opened back to the lobby and I stepped out of the elevator, walking at a measured pace towards the doors and the outside world.

11 P.M. Jack POV.

Another brief flurry of snow was whipped from the not so far off mountain tops and scattered around the city, settling onto various items and vehicles. A cascade of individual lights were scattered in a single continuous cluster through the city. Using my visor I had been scanning the harbor from this prime location in the hotel room. Thomas had not responded once through the day to my messages. Between scanning the vessels and searching through ship registry I had a total of zero leads, zero suspicious packages or people and zero results. A day well spent. The door opened and I glanced towards it, quickly putting up my visor so it was hidden. Thomas rounded the corner and did not acknowledge me. I decided to speak first.

"So. Did you do anything productive today." He looked towards the T.V. and shifted on the spot.

"Yeah." He approached the window next to me."

"So, I went past the harbor and dockyards looking for anything out of the ordinary. I was looking for anything that stood out, or fit in too well, you know? So, I found two large ships. Both of them looked like they could handle several tonnes of cargo. both of them also had freshly painted names. The 'Courage' and the 'Reverent'. Now, that wasn't unusual at first, but every other ship that had a fresh sign was also barnacle free and was typically prettier. So those two ships had none of that. Similarly, I noticed they both were stationed near the port exit and had fairly new looking motors. Upon my searching I found out that most of the parts in those two ships visible engines were actually not released yet. I didn't find anything else." The first thing I thought was wow.

"Hmm. Good job kid. I'm gonna check that out. You stay here." I stepped around Thomas, who turned to follow me.

"Wait.. now? By yourself? What about me?"

"You stay here. I can't trust you in this sort of situation." I finished grabbing a few items I would need, mainly a small concealed ballistic pistol and a hidden camera in a hat.

"Wait, you can't be serious. What if something happens? You need backup."

"If something happens I will handle it. Stay here Thomas." It was safe to use real names now. I had planted a series of small bugs designed by Sombra to block any feed in or out of this room. Similarly the walls were thick enough to be soundproof. I went to key open the door but was stopped.

"Damnit Jack. Don't be such an idiot. What you do doesn't only affect you." I turned my head to look at him.

"Really? How so?" Thomas looked away from me and shook his head.

"Jack, if something happens to you. If you die or disappear, or something bad happens... I can't go back." That made me totally freeze. Slowly turning on the spot I looked at Thomas, who had averted his gaze from me.

"What do you mean?" Thomas continued to keep his gaze averted and spoke quietly. It was the quietest I'd ever heard him and between that and his posture he almost appeared to shrink before my eyes into himself.

"Jack, I get why you don't like me. I'm like everything bad with a child's story book. You're right to not trust me, but for reasons that escape me, you and Ana and the others saw fit to give me a chance, to trust me. What do you think happens if you die? Everyone's going to blame me. Who wouldn't?! The ex Talon agent seen multiple times fighting with superiors. There isn't a person alive who wouldn't blame me." His voice cracked at the last word.

"If something happens to you... I can't go back. And for the third time in my life I lose everything and everyone." He looked up at me and stepped forward.

"And if you think that I'm going to rebuild everything from scratch again you got another thing coming! Okay?! Wherever you go, I go because like it or not I need you intact." He glared at me, but I could easily see behind the show to see he was actually scared. A brief glance at my watch confirmed the time, and an idea popped into head.

"Tell you what. It would look fairly suspicious for us to go tonight. Let's sleep on it. I'll take the chair tonight." Thomas nodded wordlessly and stepped over to the bed, sitting down and leaning over to begin untying his boots. I sat down in the chair, mulling over his words and idealizing he was right. It also meant that all in all, he didn't want to leave Overwatch. Somehow the thought gave me little comfort than it should.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, new fun. Fluffiness. Past abuse. Jacks not an asshole, Thomas is a little shit. The usual. Enjoy

For the rest of the night no one said anything. Thomas lay silently on the bed, both unmoving and unspeaking. Where as before there had been a clear change in breathing when Thomas had fallen asleep now there was none. I wasn't sure whether he was asleep and I missed the change in breathing or if he was still awake. I did not want to be asleep before Thomas. I had no idea how he was feeling. I never really thought about why he didn't want to go on a solo mission with me, chopping it up to he didn't like me. I found myself unable to sleep and unsure whether Thomas was. I shifted my head to check on the small digital clock attached under the Television. It read 5 A.M. and I realized I may as well get up now. Sleep was clearly going to be elusive for both of us.

"Hey kid, are you awake?" I whispered. He shifted a little in response.

"No." He waited for several seconds.

"You didn't sleep either did you?" He asked. I sat up in the chair, shifting around the sheet on top of me.

"No. I couldn't get comfortable." Thomas pushed himself up on one elbow.

"Sorry, here. You can have the bed." He sat up the rest of the way and scooted towards the edge of the bed.

"Don't worry about it kid. Just stay there." Thomas listened to me and instantly let himself fall back onto to bed. After a few more minutes of silence I spoke.

"How are you doing?" Thomas didn't respond at first and for several moments I wondered if he had fallen asleep before speaking.

"Yeah. M'fine" For several seconds I looked over at Thomas, seeing not him but Jesse from seven years ago. Jesse was leaning against the wall, looking like he may cry but unwilling to do so. Not twenty minutes earlier Jesse had been forced to chose. The old deadlock gang leader, or me. Jesse was the only one with a gun, and both of us were empty. Carlos had been the gang leaders name, and spun a story for Jesse. The poor kid had a choice. The family he used to know, the one that helped pay the bills for his actual family, or his Overwatch family. It had been close until Carlos tried to hit me. Jesse had fired on impulse, nailing the man in the chest. He had fallen backwards and collapsed on the ground. By the time I had checked his pulse he was dead and his body had already begun cooling down. Jesse hadn't said a word, and when I came and sat next to him and asked him if he was fine. he had given me the same half mumbled answer. I had brushed it off and allowed him to grieve in his own way, and after a particularly bad fight he left. It was only when Ana, Gabe and I had intercepted him at the airport that we convinced him to stay. Not through violence. Not through any aggressive negotiations. Somehow, through heartfelt conversation we convinced him to stay. The next day he had broken down in my arms. I comforted him as best I could, and the rest was history. Then it was Thomas again.

'He's feeling vulnerable. Exposed.' The words ran through my head unbidden and I realized Ana was right. Thomas is just like Jesse. And the more I pushed him like a leader or commander would, the more he would push back. I sat shifted in the chair and rose up from its, hearing the chair groan in relief at the absence of my weight. I walked over to the side of the bed next to Thomas, who opened one eye to look up at me. He looked tired and almost... haggard. He shifted a little and leaned up on one elbow.

"Yeah? What's wrong." I lowered myself down until I was on one knee. I was still slightly higher than the bed.

"What do you say we go get some food. Real food." Thomas waited before nodding.

"Sure. I.. I'd like that." I smiled.

"Great." I began to rise from my knee. "I saw a good place that serves Pork chops while I was looking for you yesterday. They're twenty four hours to." Thomas nodded and sat up twisting his neck until a loud pop sounded out.

"Cool. I've uh, I've never actually had Pork chops before." He grinned up at me before rising up from the bed. He stood next to me for a second, looking up at me. He was easily a half foot shorter than me and his forehead barely even reached my mouth. He headed for the bathroom and closed the door behind him, and I set about gathering a fresh set of clothes myself. After twenty minutes we were both in a fresh set of civilian clothes and headed out into the city. More flurries of snow had settled onto the ground, just enough to stick to the bottom of our boots and just cold enough to chase all but the most determine of swimsuit wearers away from the beaches. Surprisingly the streets were noticeably absent of there usual throng of people. It was barely 5:30, but in major cities and capitals usually the cities never sleep. For this brick walkway part of the city, it appeared to be not true.

The restaurant was a small place, clearly American themed. An American flag hung on the wall just under the Portuguese flag. Various pictures of hills, plains and mountains were mounted on the walls and in one corner was a cow skull, though it looked fake. Only three other people in it occupied the restaurant, each one of them sitting independent of each other. I took a seat at the counter, quickly followed by Thomas. A game of soccer played on one large screen, with only one patron paying it attention. The restaurant was so quiet that we could actually hear the game fairly well. While we were waiting for our food Thomas surprisingly broke the silence.

"Gregory is injured. He's playing it off, but he's favoring his right leg and the turns are sloppy. I think he hurt the ankle. Maybe the Subtalar Joint. What do you think?" He didn't look at me, but I found myself off guard. Truthfully I hadn't been paying attention, but now that I looked at the man I noticed he was favoring his leg.

"No. He's still turning well, but he's using his heel. I think the Sesamoid bone." Thomas nodded.

"Yeah. How can the ref not see that." Not a moment after the last word left his lips the whistle blew and Gregory was taken off the field.

"And there it is. I didn't know you liked soccer. Or knew anatomy." We spoke very quietly and if the other patrons heard they did not react. Thomas shrugged.

"Yeah, well while I didn't know you I was doing things other than getting high and drunk and partying. Believe it or not I actually had a life plan before you." Thomas took a long swig from his water and set it back down. I felt a seed of regret sprout in me. Not a day had passed and I already regretted what I'd said.

"Alex-" Thomas interrupted me again.

"Save it John. You can't tale back what you said. I can't take back what I said. I think it would be mutually beneficial if we both forgot our words last night. Wouldn't you?" I looked back at Thomas, not sure what I was expecting to see. What I did see however surprised me. Thomas looked up at me with wide, pleading eyes. His lips were pushed tightly together and his body was stiff as he held his breathe. Somehow the moment I looked at him I saw past the bravado, sarcasm and thick skin he tried to put out, and saw the terrified teenager inside him. what he was terrified of I did not exactly know, but I did know that he really felt vulnerable at this moment. After that all I could do was nod and say.

"Sure kid. No problem." Relief spread through Thomas's face and he let out the breath he had been holding. After a moment I added.

"Hey Alex." He looked at me.

"Thank you." He looked at me with a confused expression, but simply nodded.

"No problem." A few minutes later our food arrived. The man set the both the plates of food in front of us, leaving and returning a few moments later with two bowls of hot apple sauce. Then Thomas surprised me again.

"Thanks sir." The man nodded and returned to the back kitchen. I thought to myself.

'Thomas has manners. Who woulda thunk it.' I then paused. Did I really think who would thunk it? I haven't said that since I was in the U.S. Army. Thomas wasted no time cutting his first pork chop into eight pieces and began eating. After several minutes of us eating he had finished his first pork chop, while I had barely finished a third of mine.

"Hey kid. Try it with the applesauce. Thomas did such and smiled. After a few minutes he was finished and began scraping together the last chunks of bread crumbs with fork.

"I take it you liked it?" He nodded and said something along the lines of:.

"Yes it was very good." Though I couldn't be sure as his mouth was full. 'Maybe manners is to good a term to describe Thomas.' After he finished his food he wiped his hands clean on a napkin and placed the empty bowl on the plate with the napkin, fork and spoon on top.

'Okay. Thomas does in fact posses some manners. Noted.' I thought to myself. After I finished my food and payed the man we left the restaurant. Thomas spoke next.

"So John, you want to check out the harbors? The water is semi frozen, and it all looks like an icy slush. It's pretty cool." I nodded in response. This would be a good opportunity to scout out the harbor. Workers would be slowly spilling in, but it would be open for tourists in most parts with minimal security or eavesdroppers.

"Sure, but I do need to call work." If we were going to investigate the harbor it would be important that the local police and the Overwatch base a few miles north knew what we were doing and didn't arrest us. The police wholeheartedly supported Overwatch catching the illegal arms dealers working through the port of Lisbon.

"John you're calling your work at six in the morning. Its construction, not the military." It was fairly surprising how Thomas could just alter what he called me so easily, at first I was worried he would slip up, until Reinhardt pointed out one day that e doesn't really call me Jack, more so calling me asshole or some other 'title'. Still, at least he didn't call me Jack in public. The hotel room had already been set up with Sombra jamming equipment. It silenced anyone who was outside trying to listen in physically or technologically.

"Not the way I run it, now shush." Giving the phone a moment.

"Hey Ken." The woman over the phone, an Overwatch agent who works with the local police named Abigail, would help us out if something went wrong. It was a harbor, not a drug den. There shouldn't be any trouble. She responded.

"Hey boss, how're things?"

"Pretty good, still in Portugal. Somehow its colder here than home." I heard her laugh on the other end.

"That's good. Everything's okay on my end. Business is solid and no notable disasters. But sir, are things going okay? It's 3 A.M. and you're calling work." Huh, she was good. She accounted for the time zones of an eastern American business.

"Yeah, sorry about time zones. Yeah everything's fine. Just checking up on things. Making sure you didn't burn everything down." She laughed.

"That's okay. So how are things going? See anything interesting yet?"

"Yeah, we're checking out the harbor now." I heard the sound of typing over the phone.

"Okay. Well, do you want to get back to that or...?" It was a cue to hang up, plain and simple. She would tell the Portuguese public security and they would quietly ready an aquatic team as backup. It suddenly occurred that I was putting a lot of trust in Thomas. His life, my life, the public securities lives. As we walked I looked at the back of his head, thinking on it. I had done some checking up on his information and it all checked out. he knew what he was looking for, and it was more leads than I had. plus the longer we waited, the more likely we were to lose any leads we had. It was this balance that always made me hate tracking smugglers.

"Sir? Sir!" I snapped back to reality, realizing I was still on the phone.

"Yeah, talk to you later." I hung up before getting a reply and continued walking down the road. After several minutes of walking we came across the port that housed large ships. Cargo ships, tankers, even a few older cargo haulers floated peacefully. On the deep blue green water. Because the sun was still barely rising over the horizon, and most natural light had yet to reach around the large mountains in the distance. Before we began investigating however Thomas took me to the edge of the concrete.

"Check it out." The water was raising and falling slowly and at first everything looked normal, but after a second I noticed a very thin layer of frost covered the top of the water. Thomas looked at me and smiled.

"Water runs off from different parts of the city. The hotter water rises, and because it hasn't had time to properly mix with the salt water and dilute it stay more or less fresh and half freezes. i saw it a few times before. It's really cool." The water looked almost like a slush than actual water.

"Anyway, i just wanted you to see that." Thomas jerked his head towards the first of the two ships. She was fairly ugly, but fit the description previously offered by Thomas.

"Wanna check em out now?"

Two hours later, Jack POV.

Thomas and I finally made it back to the hotel. It was just before eight in the morning, and the mission had been a shit show. It had been fine at first. Thomas had snuck on no problem, climbing up the side and onto the main deck of the ship. He then let me in, and while I checked a few of the cargo containers Thomas had searched the computers, searching for any relevant data and downloading it. I had realized to late that this ship had to many personal touches to be just crew additions. I went looking for Thomas finding him wrestling with a 42 year old graying man with a baseball bat.

As I had stepped forward, a young girl no older than fifteen hit me over the shoulder with a skillet. It hurt. I shouted at Thomas to stop fighting the old man while also dodging the girl skillet attacks without hurting her, but it was lost in the chaos this had turned into. Suddenly the Portuguese security burst into the ship, demanding all of us got onto the floor. It was at that point that the force that was supposed to be our backup came in to try and explain what was happening. After that for the next thirty minutes It was explained as much as the people were allowed to know what was happening, and after some confirmation from Abigail Thomas and I were released from there custody, much to the dismay of the man and his daughter. Now, I sat down in the chair and watched Thomas sit on the bed, wincing as he did so.

"Are you okay kid? You've been limping all the way back here." Thomas lay back on the bed.

"Yeah. A little bruised. He hit me with that baseball back in the side is all." I leaned forward in the chair. What a shit show that had been. But it hadn't been all bad. i found a surprising amount of data about the second ship. Mainly that when the police arrived it took off in a hurry. Before I could speak however Thomas beat me to it.

"I'm sorry Jack. I really fucked this one up. I asked you to trust me, and you did. And I fucked it up." His shoulders fell a little. I rose up from the chair and walked past him.

"Come on kid." Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"What? To where?"

"The bathroom." His face scrunched up.

"I'm not showering with you. I'm hurt, not crippled." I sighed. Of course he would take it that way.

"We are never showering together kid, don't worry. I need to check your wounds. A baseball bat hit is bad by itself. That plus aggravation of walking just makes it worse. A rib could be broken." Thomas lay there, unmoving.

"I'm fine. It's fine. I'll check it myself." Thomas was adamant on his wounds condition. He refused to get up or allow me to examine the wounds.

"Kid, you can't accurately diagnose the wounds yourself. Look, if you're worried about your physique or an embarrassing tattoo-" Thomas shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not like that Jack. That's not why, and why it is isn't your business." I pursed my lips together, staring at Thomas. He was agitated, shifting in place and eyes darting around,

"kid, if I see you shirt less you're not gay." Thomas looked at me like I was idiot.

"Jack, that's not it either. Please just drop it." I stepped forward, standing near the bed and shifting around on my feet a little.

"Kid, I can't let you go with bad injuries okay. It's either me, or the hospital." Thomas's face paled at that. He looked at me, seemingly considering his options before slowly rising up from the bed. I followed just outside the bathroom when he turned around.

"Jack, just don't look at my back please. I'll take my shirt and jacket off and holler at you when I'm ready." A sinking feeling was slowly forming in the pit of my stomach. After a few minutes Thomas said my name. I barely heard it through the door. Thomas was sitting on the counter, his back facing away from me and a towel over his back. He was skinny. It was far from emancipated, but I could see his ribs protruding gently. Little fat clung to him anywhere, and his stomach was mostly flat. It looked like his core had little muscle, but I could see his arms did.

A large unsightly black and blue bruise covered the left side of his body, stretching from his armpit to just above the bottom ribs. The bruise wrapped around to his back. After checking his injuries it appeared that nothing was broken, just badly bruised. The biggest problem lay in that a large portion of the bruise wrapped around to his back. Thomas had avoided looking at me the entire time I was checking for broken bones or punctured anything.

"Thomas." He looked up at me. He wasn't crying, but he looked like he might. He looked terrified as well.

"Yeah?"

"I need to check the rest of your bruise. Two of your ribs feel looser than they should." Thomas looked down.

"Jack, I'll be fine. Please don't." He was scared, i could here it in his voice. He was playing with his hands, picking at one of his nails on his left hand.

"I'm sorry Thomas, if a rib is cracked I can't let it lay. It could fragment or puncture something. Then you'll definitely have to go to a hospital for surgery." Thomas shuddered and nodded.

"Okay. But, but you can't tell anyone. Okay?"

"Sure kid. I promise." Thomas nodded and shifted around on the granite counter top.

"Turn around." I did so, looking away from him. I heard shifting and the sound of fabric moving. After a few seconds I heard Thomas say 'okay'

I turned around and was appalled by the sight. He had eight lines on his back. The bottom two looked the one I saw a few days ago, the one from the mountain accident. Both were jagged and ran from his left shoulder to below his waist. The remaining six were the ones that appalled me. The six were clean lines, each one a deep scar that run directly up and down and starts off a angry pink and deepened steadily into a black red as it ran its course before lightening again. The wounds were clearly afflicted by someone else, and whatever they did it with they knew what they were doing. The marks were and angry looking, and definitely painfully inflicted. The part that stood out was that the wounds were scars, not fresh nor scabbed. That meant that these had been inflicted a fairly long time ago. At least a few years.

"Thomas, I-"

"Don't just check my ribs and leave." His voice broke as he said it. I listened and began quickly examining the wound on his ribs. The bruise wrapped around his body for several inches and was a similar black and blue color as the rest of the bruise. After only a few seconds of checking I could tell it wasn't cracked. He would need a proper examination but for now he would be fine.

"Okay, I'll let you get dressed again." Thomas got up with some trouble and began dressing before I even left the room. I sat down on the edge of the bed and waited patiently for Thomas to leave. This was new, I'd never had to talk about something like this with anyone. The door clicked and Thomas slowly exited the bathroom and sat down on the bed. He lay down on the left side of the bed on his side, still in jacket and pants. I scooted closer to him.

"I'm gonna go to sleep Jack. M'tired." I scooted up to the center of the bed next to him. Thomas didn't move or even react to my movement.

"Hey kid, sit up."

"No. I'm tired." He wasn't going to make this easy on me. Well, i could be stubborn as well. Especially if the situation called fore it.

"Thomas, one way or the other we aren't leaving the room without talking." I waited, expecting an explosion, or some sort of confrontation. Rather, he sat up, wincing a little and struggling to, but finally leaning against the wall.

"Fine. Let's talk. About what?"

"What's your favorite candy?" I asked. Thomas looked incredulously me.

"You're fucking kidding me right? Fucking candy?" I smiled.

"Is there something else you wanted to talk about?" Thomas blinked and rolled his eyes. After a moment he responded.

"Ami would get these cherry chocolate candies for me sometimes. She liked them as well. They were like, a hard chocolate outer coating with a gooey cherry inside."

"So your a cherry man huh?" Thomas looked sideways at me.

"Don't say it like that. But yes. Cherry and mint are my favorites. You?"

"Anything with caramel or peanut butter. You know what, how about this. We each ask each other a question and answer honestly." Thomas began laughing. It was a nice sound, light and honest. After a minute he stopped and looked at me.

"It hurts to laugh. Jack, didn't you say at one point 'I won't negotiate with a teenager who posses an attitude problem'?" Now it was my turn to laugh. It came out as more of a chuckle.

"I did say that. But times change. And we change with it." He shuffled and twisted in place before settling down again.

"Fine. It your turn then."

"Okay, how old are you?" Thomas looked at me.

"Eighteen. Like I told you... how long ago was it? A few weeks. Wow. Heh, a month on the job and already in bed with the commander." He smiled at me and I noticed he had longer canines than a normal persons. They looked they they touched down to the gums.

"What are you looking at?"

"Your canines."

"Oh." he opened his mouth. The canines appeared to be a quarter or so inch longer than an average persons.

"Yeah. Been that way for as long as I can remember. Don't know why. Just one of the many things wrong with me. Now, my turn. How did you become Strike Commander?"

"Well, I was a founder of Overwatch, the U.N. felt I was a friendlier face than Gabriel and gave me the job."

"A friendlier face. Right. But to be fair Gabriel smiles like a lion looking at pray." I looked at Thomas, who reached over for the remote to the T.V.

"You know Gabe is kind to people he cares about." Thomas snorted while turning on the near ancient T.V.

"Must not care about me then. He hates me. Criticizes me more than you."

"You know kid we don't criticize you because we hate you. We do it because you have potential and don't work to achieve it. Also your a disrespectful little shit." Thomas grinned while changing channels.

"You got me there. Okay, your turn."

"Well, while on the topic of how we joined things? How'd you join Talon?" Thomas hesitated but spoke after a brief moment.

"They tricked me. Believe it or not but... remember when I said that I had a plan? Well, before Talon... I actually wanted to join Overwatch. Problem was, I was sixteen, four foot ten inches. 90 pounds, homeless, jobless and luckless. I was hoping to join when I hit eighteen. Or at least could pass for it. Well, one day during a blizzard in Maine I was approached by two people in bright blue coats with real looking authentication. It was a black woman and a white guy. Never got there names. They spun the recruitment tale to me. Three meals a day, excitement, family. I was so fucking stupid back then I ate up every word. They gave me some food and water laced with something to knock me out. I woke up three days later with a fancy new device in my neck and what I was told the beginning of my service, which I owed to Talon for rescuing me from Overwatch. They were full of shit." He put the remote down and click the T.V. off. There was nothing on. I found myself unsure what to ask next. Thomas spoke next.

"Look, I don't want pity or sympathy. Despite how it seems, I don't want you to think different of me just because of... you know." He looked back at me.

"Don't worry kid. i won't. And I won't tell anyone you don't want me to." Thomas nodded and responded quickly this time.

"You can tell whoever you think should know. Like Ana, or Angela. I trust them."

"You like Ana a lot." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, what's not to like? She's really sweet, and she invites me for tea and occasionally lunch. I wish she was my mom."

"You don't like your mom?" Thomas scoffed.

"Jack, who do you think gave me those scars? My mom was a crazy old bitch that hated me intensely." I was less shocked than I would have thought at that.

"So kid, if you like spending time with Ana so much why not try to spend more? She likes you to." Thomas shook his head.

"Because she's busy, and I don't want to ruin it. She's really nice to me, and I don't want her to think I'm greedy or don't appreciate it... or her. Everything in moderation, you know?" I nodded. It was reasonable for him to draw this conclusion. I would have to tell Ana that bit. Maybe get her to spend more time with him.

"Okay, my turn." For the next hour we just talked, occasionally sharing parts of our past, or reaffirming different parts. Thomas learned I was from Idaho, and that the reason I was so fast and strong was a secret government project. Thomas is from British Columbia. No I hadn't always been the second captain America. Thomas, according to what he had gathered from Angela and Talon, had powers because his cells had a second cell wall, and hyperactive Mitochondria and Ribosomes. This gave him extra energy and let him use his powers, but only as a reflex. He couldn't control it at all and could only fall thirty feet without injury. After that it was the equivalent to a normal person falling however far he fell. Why this was, how it happened, why his eyes turned red... or more correctly brown or even why his skin paled so much if he fought intensely using his powers he had no idea.

After that we talked about different members of Overwatch, and eventually what we wanted to do outside of Overwatch. If I had to choose I'd say either a farmer like the rest of my family, or a entrepreneur. Thomas, if he could have, had always been fascinated with engineering, science, technology. He would like to be a scientist either in Marine Biology, or an engineer. By the end of it all I felt we were closer. Thomas was still a teenager. And he really seemed to enjoy being in Overwatch. Soon, we seemed to reach a lull in the conversation. After a few minutes with little conversation Thomas broke the silence.

"I'm sorry Jack. I was so sure that those ships were it and I made a stupid mistake. If I had let you go without freaking out you would have found that that ship was clean instantly. I screwed it up and managed to lose both out leads." A brief glance confirmed something to me. He was taking responsibility. A little surge of pride swelled up in me.

"Kid. Everyone makes mistakes okay? Just learn from this one and you'll be fine."

"Yeah." Thomas let his head fall on my shoulder, but I didn't react. After a minute he readjusted, bringing more weight to bear on me. I let my head fall sideways, resting my cheek on the top of his head. He didn't move after that, and for a little while I wondered if he was uncomfortable, if I had pushed it. I sat up and looked at him, only to discover he was fast asleep on my shoulder. Taking a folded blanket I draped it over him and smiled as he shifted again. After a little while I let myself fall asleep as well.


	8. Chapter 8

2 days later.

"Well, your both alive with all your parts intact. Any injuries?" Jack shook his his negative and reshouldered his bag. Behind him his car drove towards the parking garage. Thomas shifted, not wanting to answer and trying his best to look inconspicuous. It was mildy effective. The two were walking up the grand steps towards the main entrance, which served as a security checkpoint, reception and had a guard station not twenty feet away with heavily armed guards present at all times. The security captain, another SEP soldier by the name of Rousseau, was one of the toughest woman Jack had ever met, surpassed only by Ana and arguably Fareeha and Amélie. The entrance to the building always had two rows of brightly colored and meticulously cared for flowers on either side of the stair case. A large statue of Richard McGuire, a Canadian soldier who earned fame at Quebec during the Omnic wars, adorned the center of the lobby. What few actually knew or thought about was that the staircases, the bright flowers and the statue all served security purposes. The stair took at least a minute to sprint up, with no cover at all. The flowers meant that any solider walking up was in stark contrast and if necessary Mr.McGuire's statue would suffer the same fate as the man himself. The statue would be detonated and would provide decent cover to any internal forces.

"It went fine. We lived, no injuries. Now if you'll excuse me I have a glowing mission report to write." Thomas excused himself at that and continued up the stairs past Ana, who looked at Jack.

"The mission could have gone better." She fell into step next to Jack.

"Between you two or the mission itself." Jack always loved these steps. They were there on every major base as a security standard, but it was still beautiful and awe inspiring. Each base housed a different statue of a different person.

"We should talk about this more privately." Ana nodded at Jack and entered the tinted glass door held open by a guard, thanking him in the process.

30 minutes later.

"Okay Jack. What happened?" Jack sat down in the chair at his desk. It was a nice oak wood desk, a gift from the prime minister of Denmark. Underneath the wood top were several metal bins, each one holding varying items from paperwork, mission reports, blackwatch reports and U.N. schedules and meeting times. Jack's secretary, a shy man named Carlos, worked diligently to keep everything orderly but some things just weren't open to his eyes and Jack would have to do them, mainly Blackwatch reports. On top was a computer and monitor, stack of to do papers and various paperweights and gifts from various countries and peoples.

"Thomas blames himself for the mission, he-"

"Jack, what happened on the mission. Start there." Jack nodded and turned on the computer, briefly typing in the password before speaking.

"Okay, we arrived at the expected time and spent the night resting. The next day Thomas went out to scout around the city, taking in the sights and looking for anything suspicious. He found two ships and convinced me to scout out one. While in there, we discovered it was both civilian occupied and clean. The other slipped away. Thomas blames himself, thinks he was too impatient." Ana nodded and began pouring a cup of tea for both her and Jack.

"And was he?"

"Was he responsible or was he impatient?" Ana handed Jack a small cup of tea and took the other in her hands.

"Yes. Either, both take your pick." Jack sipped at the warm liquid, taking a moment to enjoy the taste before responding. He could be like that fairly often, taking his sweet time to answer. Ana was patient, moreover she knew he would eventually answer the question.

"Yes, he was impatient, though I was as well. Truthfully, he did cause the other ship to get away, but it gave us a lot of information, all of which is going to be placed in the report. I'm letting Thomas think he screwed up, letting him take a little more responsibility. But now we have an idea what the smugglers ship looks like. Plus, we know that someone in the Portuguese police tipped them off. For now, I need to right the report." Ana nodded and rose up, collecting the tea onto the small tray. Before she could leave Jack stopped her.

"Oh, and Ana. If you have the time, see Thomas. A little birdie with attitude problem told me that, and I quote 'Spending time with Ana is some of the most fun I've ever had.' Thomas is too scared to initiate though. He thinks if he asks to do more with you, since he has no money you'll think he's greedy, or justs wants free things." Ana hesitated before speaking.

"Just what happened on this little trek that you aren't telling me?" Jack did not respond. Dozens of thoughts swam through his head, many pertaining to Thomas. Jack simply smiled politely at her.

Lots of things ana. But both Thomas and I a fairly secretive. Oh, and can you send Gabriel in?" Ana smiled.

"Jack, you have work to do. You can't work if your busy 'talking' with Gabriel." Ana left the room, looking both regal and dignified in it. After a little while Gabriel showed up.

"Finally." Gabriel grinned and sat down, putting his feet on the desk.

"Well well well. You survived. How was it?" I smiled as well, shaking my head and pushing aside the keyboard to lean forward. Gabriel did as well and the shared a brief kiss before leaning back in there respective chairs.

"I missed that mi amor. So come on. I'm curious." Jack considered what to tell him for several moments.

"Well, I learned he is human. He enjoys being in Overwatch. And, he's a teenager who's scared out of his mind a lot." Gabriel nodded, not necessarily surprised by the news.

"Right. Does this affect anything?" Jack shook his head.

"No. We talked a lot. He's a teen, so it's frustrating, but at some point I'm certain he called me sir. And not sarcastically." Gabriel chuckled dryly.

"And, why are we not grinding him into a model recruit?"

"Because Talon did that to him for at least a year and it didn't work as intended. Gabriel, Some of the things they did to him... even if he was exaggerating. Gabriel, his parents abused him. He has scars up and down his back." gabriels face lost its smile and set into a frown.

"What kind of scars?"

"Beating scars. He almost broke down just from me seeing them. he hurt his ribs, and I saw them while checking for damage." Gabriel looked horrified, which was saying a lot after all the things he had seen. Jack leaned back in his chair and began thinking.

"Oh. Jack. Did you seduce him?" Jack jerked back into reality.

"What?! NO! I did not seduce him." Gabriel raised one eyebrow.

"He did fall asleep on my shoulder after we talked though." Jack emphasized the word talk.

"Jack, I recognize that look. You want to bring him into our little group. Just like we dd with Jesse."

"I won't say your wrong, but i don't think it would be best for him. Why did we stop with Jesse?" Gabriel sighed.

"We got really busy with the aftermath of Albania. He asked if we could take a break. We just never stopped taking a break. But, an interesting note jack. Jesse and Thomas are dating, I'm sure of it. I snooped in jesse's phone because he wouldn't stop getting distracted. When he went to shower I wiped and found several, very interesting messages to and from Thomas. Surprisingly, nothing lewd. But one, along the lines of 'Hey, you up?' 'Yeah, can't really sleep. You?' 'Watching a movie in my room. Wanna join me. it's okay if you want to sleep over again.' 'Sure, be there soon love you. " Gabriel smirked while jack sighed. Gabriels snoopiness was useful at some times and irritating/invasive a lot of other times.

"Look, for now I think just having a reliable figure in his life would do him best." jack used his diplomat voice, hoping to talk about more pressing concerns. Gabriel smiled and leaned over the table.

"Okay then, but now I think we need to 'talk' a little." Jack smiled.

"I think that would be best. Lock the door." Gabriel smiled maliciously and did so.

Thomas POV. Ten minutes later.

Where the hell is Jesse. All I want to do is talk, hang out with and possibly make out with my boyfriend. And of course he's nowhere to be seen. Even though I'd been here at least three weeks the bases more public levels were largely unfamiliar. The grand halls, adorned with fancy curtains and rugs meticulously cleaned made my skin crawl, but it wasn't unbearable. Jesse still hadn't responded, and he wasn't in his room or the shooting range. Now I was walking to the cafeteria, hoping he was there when I was intercepted by Ana.

"Hello Thomas, I was looking for you." She was in her usual blue suit and overcoat.

"Hello Ana. Do you know where Jesse is?" A look passed over her face very briefly, but I couldn't identify it.

"No, I was wondering if you would like to go get some food with myself and Fareeha."

"Ana, where is Jesse?" She frowned and her shoulders fell.

"You can't help him Thomas."

"He's dead!?!"Her face became alarmed.

"No! He was injured in a mission, he has a bad concussion and is in a medically induced coma. Angela has him on a nano I.V. fixing him now."

"Where is he?"

"Thomas you can't talk or do anything with him, he's unconscious. Just come get some food."

"Ana, if you don't tell me I'll find out myself." she looked at me with wide and sad eyes.

"Thomas-"

"No, I- Ana he's my b-" I caught myself just before I said boyfriend, changing it mid sentence."Best friend. If something happened to him to him and I wasn't there I'd never forgive myself. Please." And looked at me, looking fairly surprised before she shook her head.

"Okay. But you can't touch anything in there. Okay?" i nodded and followed her anxiously. After a short while of walking she stopped outside a private medical room, one covertly tucked away behind the rest of the main room. Ana opened the door and ushered me in. Inside the room was a slew of medical equipment, the scale of which nearly made me panic. Upon a second glance I discovered that most of the equipment was not in use, or was monitoring equipment. Jesse looked mostly intact, but his right arm was bandaged and the top of his head was wrapped in clean white bandages. His beard was shaved, and I discovered that underneath he had a strong chin completely free of any blemishes.

"Is the coma medically induced?"

"Yes."

"What was his blood pressure? Any internal bleeding hemorrhaging?" Ana raised one eyebrow at me. I turned and took a seat next to Jesse's bed.

"His blood pressure was given the situation. No internal bleeding, no loss of functions. He will be fine, he just needs rest. I think it's sweet that you care about him. I Did not realize the two of you were such good friends." I can't tell if she was meaning friends as she said it, but it honestly didn't matter much to me. If Ana knew, and I suspected she did given how little managed to slip by her, than she would be okay. Fareeha was bi anyway. Besides that I was more focused on Jesse.

"Thank you Ana." I pulled out a chair from the wall, folding it down and sitting down on it,

"Thomas, waiting here isn't going to make him heal faster. Come, we can get something to eat and jesse will be fine."

"Ana, what if somethings happens?"

"if something happens Angela and Miora will send you outside the room while they work. Then if they send you back in it will have been as if you were never even there. In fact, you staying here will hinder them more then help, especially if you end up becoming ill from neglecting yourself." I didn't answer. After a moment I nodded and rose up from the seat, folding it back into the wall. Ana smiled with no small amount of smugness and turned, leading me away from the room. I turned to see jesse as we left, checking on him one last time. He hadn't moved in the slightest since we arrived and I felt worry spike up in me. I turned and saw Ana smiling at me.

'Well, she definitely knows.'

Two hours later. Third person POV.

Lunch had been as nice today as it had been the three times before. Fareeha had joined and rode shotgun next to Ana. Thomas had ridden in the middle and along the way Fareeha and Thomas discovered they shared a similar taste in music. Thomas had ordered the same thing as Ana again. In sum, everything went well. Another waiter commented on Ana's kids being very polite. Fareeha was twenty two but looked younger despite her harder features formed from Egyptian and later Overwatch military service. After leaving and returning to base Ana stopped Thomas from returning to Jesse and insisted he get some sleep. Both her and Ami were both working at improving Thomas's health, starting with creating a regular sleeping schedule and eating regularly. Angela is greatly worried about his weight. At age 18, he weighed about twenty pounds less than he should for his height. More than once he'd been caught up after one of the two told him to go to sleep, only to be sent back by scolding glares only a professional assassin, and a mother could muster. Now he was caught less than twenty steps later heading for the infirmary, which was the opposite way from Thomas's room, opening a door.

"Hello Thomas. Why are you heading this way? Your room is that way." Ana pointed past Thomas who looked in that direction and turned back.

"Oh, right well, you know. Big building I thought my room was this way. You know, getting lost and such." Thomas could not look more guilty and both Amari's smiled.

"Well are you lost or heading to your room?" Thomas stuttered out an explanation.

"Uh uh uhm well I..."

"Fareeha, would you mind making sure Thomas makes his way back to his room without incident? I'd hate for him to get lost again." Fareeha nodded and stepped forward, gently taking Thomas's arm and leading him towards his room.

"Yes mom, I'll make sure he gets to his room unhindered." Ana nodded and closed the door, going off to her office. As Fareeha escorted Thomas, the two talked.

"Thomas, I was there when Jesse got hurt. It's a concussion, no internal bleeding-"

"Ana already told me. What would you do if it was Angela in there?" Fareeha looked at me.

"I'd check in on her regularly, but the worst thing you can do when a loved one is hurt, is hurt yourself taking care of them. You can check in as often as you want, but don't wait there. I'll Angela why its important if your okay with it."

"I have a feeling that by the time jesse wakes up everyone's going to know anyways. I'd rather have Jesse be fine than people not know about us." Fareeha smiled and affectionately punched Thomas on the shoulder.

"Attaboy. Now go to sleep. If Ana catches you out again in the next six hours she'll make you run laps until you can barely move, then carry you to your room. And I know, she's done it to me before." Thomas nodded and opened up the door to his room.

"Thank you Fareeha." Fareeha stepped forward and hugged him.

"Jesse will be fine. Now get some sleep." Fareeha released him and keyed the door closed. Thomas took a moment to slip out of his pants and change into a lighter shirt before collapsing on his bed. Before falling asleep however he set an alarm for later today, in six hours to be precise. Before laying down Thomas hesitated and changed the alarm for seven hours then lay down.

10 hours later. Third POV.

Thomas left the recovery room again, the third time in as many hours. Fareeha leaned in next to me.

"How many times has he checked so far?" Angela turned to her, setting an envelope full of patient records down to take another and sign them.

"This is the third time. You know it's difficult to keep Moira and Joan out of the room and out of the loop."

"And you know Moira is manipulative and Joan gossips over anything and everything. Besides, It's Thomas's wish that we don't tell people." Angela nodded.

"I'm a doctor, confidentiality is something I know." Fareeha smiled.

"Thank you." She leaned in and kissed Angela on the cheek.

"Your welcome Fareeha."

Two days later. Third person POV.

Angela, Gabriel and Thomas sat around the recovery room. Jesse was still unconscious while Angela checked the machines. Thomas had been in the room already when Angela and gabriel had entered, Angela to check on Jesse and Gabriel, surprisingly to collect thomas.

"Come on kid. Follow me." Thomas raised up his head.

"What? Why?" Gabriel smirked.

"Because I say so. now come on or I'll drag you out." Before Thomas could say something he'll almost certainly regret Angela interjected.

"You need to go anyway Thomas, I have some more private work to do." She didn't but Gabriel and Thomas did not get along well. Gabriel demanded utmost respect, and Thomas had yet to see why. This created friction between the two, as Thomas's responses to Gabriel usually involved swears and Gabriels responses included attempted strangulation. it had become so unacceptable at one point to nearly come to blows. Despite being one of the small people in Blackwatch Thomas demonstrated he was no stranger in hand to hand combat situations. During one training match Thomas had taken down Markus, a seven foot tall three hundred pound beast of a man, with style, grace and no small amount of taunting and underhanded tactics. Gabriel had forced Thomas to run laps, but Thomas did so for two hours without tiring, further angering Gabriel.

"Okay Dr. Ziegler." Thomas rose up from the extendable chair and folded it back into the wall before following Gabriel out of the room. The medbay was thankfully empty, a lack of recent mission had created a thankful lack of injured on this base, allowing many personnel to catch up on the large amounts of paperwork required by Overwatch. Gabriel led the two to a training room. The room was fairly small, a square of mats adorned the center of the room and various melee weapons adorned the walls with a old school style round clock hanging from one of the walls. Gabriel walked towards the center and took a fighting stance towards Thomas. Thomas looked around.

"Uh, you brought me here to fight you?" Gabriel nodded. Thomas shrugged.

"Okay, if your that desperate for an ass whooping I can oblige. Just let me stretch and get ready." Gabriel lunged forward, catching Thomas mid stride and taking him down. In a moment Thomas was pinned to the ground.

"HEY! What the fuck I wasn't ready!" Gabriel grinned.

"You think fights are supposed to be fair? I stretched before getting you, I'm all warmed up." Thomas twisted his wrists and Gabriel allowed him to break the grip before rolling off the boy. Thomas rose to his feet and shed his Jacket to the ground, tossing it into a corner without regard.

"Fine, you want an unfair fight? Lets go." Thomas took his own stance, spreading his feet out and lowering his center of gravity. One hand could block low attacks and the other would block high attacks. Gabriel mimicked the stance. He didn't intend to beat the boy too badly, mainly he wanted to draw some emotion out from the boy. Unsurprisingly Thomas struck first, closing the distance and feigning a kick before following it with a punch. Gabriel called the kick and stepped into the punch, dodging it and reaching forward to slap Thomas across the face. Thomas stepped back, bewildered while Gabriel held his position. He could take the boy down again, but he didn't feel like it.

"What the fuck?" Gabriel smirked and lunged at Thomas, who barely dodged it. Thomas swung his shin at Gabriel's ribs but Gabriel dodged it as well, stepping forward and smacking Thomas again. This time though he followed up the strike with another and another while Thomas struggled to recover. Thomas swung a fist at Gabriel, who grabbed it and twisted it around Thomas's back before pushing him onto the ground, pinning his face against the mat. Thomas sung his leg, connecting the kick to Gabriels leg once before he let himself fall forward, pinning Thomas with Gabriels much larger body. Thomas struggled, thrashing for several seconds before letting his face fall forward.

'I'm so happy no one sees this.' Thomas thought.

"Okay kid, now that I've got you here with all your attention, we're gonna talk."

"About what?"

"First, you're going with me to Detroit later, there's a mission there and Genji is still in new York, or as I like to call it the middle of butt fuck nowhere. Second, jesse will be fine, but you will not be if you keep neglecting yourself. You haven't eaten or slept in the last two days, and don't deny it. You will get some food and after the mission you will go to sleep." Thomas said nothing and had ceased struggling, now laying on the mat limply. Thomas hoped Gabriel would let his guard down, but Gabriel was not falling for it and kept him pinned.

"So, you're worried about me and decided to beat the crap out of me?"

"This was the best way I could think of making you listen to me. And it worked. Now I'm going to let you up, if you try something you will regret it." Gabriel let go of Thomas's arm and let him collapse the final few feet to the ground. Gabriel turned, but was ready for Thomas's leg sweep, jumping over it and pushing him back onto the ground. Now, thomas lay pinned yet again, his lip now split and leaking blood.

"Missions in two hours. Get ready."

"Why are all your missions so short notice?"

"Its Blackwatch, we don't have the luxury of extensively planning all our ops. All you need to know is do your job and you'll be fine. You'll be briefed en route. Now I'm going to get up and if you try to take my feet out again I'm going to break your ribs knocking you back down." I smirked but gabriel held my gaze, totally serious. I nodded and let him get up, staying limp on the map.

"Go get ready. Don't bring the sword it will slow you down. And bring a chest plate and gloves." Thomas nodded and sat up.

"Got it boss." Gabriel nodded and left without another word, leaving Thomas on the map.

Twenty minutes later.

"Well, there you go. The apprentice is officially on the Detroit mission. You really think its a good idea? I could still slash him from the roster." Jack put down the paper onto the neat pile on the desk.

"I'm telling you Gabe, you need a climber and Thomas is the best choice. He may just save your life." Gabriel scoffed and lay back on the couch.

:If you say so. Bur if he disobeys me, or jeopardizes me I'm not gonna go soft and negotiate like Ana or Reinhardt, I'm Gonna knock him out."

"And I am okay with that. Just try not to get him killed, okay?" Gabriel nodded.

"Why do you have bruises on your chest?"

"That's not important."

"Thomas?"

"Yes. He hits hard. He only got one hit before I took him down."

"He hit you?"

"Shut up."

One and a half hours later.

Five people sat in various positions around a small table. The table itself had a map of the world, a paper one. Aside from that and a pencil an ancient projector sat facing a blank wall. This level of technology was often used to erase paper trails, at least that's what Thomas was told. Gabriel had yet to arrive, he was busy making his way to the site, Thomas in tow. Of the seven people going on the op was Reinhardt, who required no introduction. Next was a six foot three inch tall large muscular Asian girl name Jane. She had a low and rough smokers voice and the build of an athlete. Next was Jason, a black man who was also a SEP soldier. He had Gabriels build and a low voice, often people called him the narrator. He had a large scar across his arm, and the story he told about how he got it changed often, varying from hunting accident to wrestling an omnic. Timothy, nicknamed slugger, was a demolitions expert who particularly enjoyed Nitro glycerine solutions, and napalm. his face bore many scars, and under his body he was marked even more by burn marks and the occasional slash scar or bullet hole. Finally was Mac, the skinny one of all of them. He was Six foot two inches. He had no hair, regularly shaving it and was also an SEP soldier. Few distinguishing marks aside from a mechanical foot adorned him, but unlike the others he kept both his weapons and uniform immaculately cleaned. He also kept approximately four pounds of C-4 strapped to his chest during ops, ensuring his end would be- 'The messiest thing I've ever done.' While the five were chatting with each other Gabriel stepped into the room, silencing all conversation. Thomas stepped in as well and went to sit down on one of the seats but was stopped by Mac.

"Good god boss, you're bringing him along?" Thomas looked at Mac and frowned.

"Macquarie Jeckman. Good to see you too." Mac looked at Gabriel.

"Sir, you can't really want him in your squad. Didn't he tell you about the last squad he was in?" Thomas spat at mac, catching his jacket and getting his attention.

"Hey dickweed, that's no way to talk to a commanding officer. Now why don't you shut the fuck up before I knock out your teeth and feed them to you." Mac laughed.

"Hah, Talon couldn't tame the mouth." Thomas smirked.

"Well not everyone's a bitch about it like you."

"Hey, I'd tell you both to shut up and stop acting like ladies but that would insult both Jane and all women. Thomas what is he talking about." Thomas looked up at Gabriel and glared at Mac.

"For about four months in Talon I was in a squad as demolitions. I set some charges, shit went sideways-"

"Oh shit went sideways all right." Both Thomas and Gabriel glared at Mac, but it was Gabriel's glare that silenced him.

"Yeah, I set a charge, it went off to early and I got trapped in some rubble. The others were ambushed getting me out and they didn't make it. After that no one would work work with me because they thought I was cursed." Gabriel looked at thomas before looking at each member of the group.

"Mac, we need to talk." Mac got up and followed Gabriel outside the room.

"Sir I"

"Shut up. Why did you do that?"

"Well sir-"

"Shut up. You're a dick that's why. Do you know what it's like to lose your squad?"

"Well sir-"

"The answer is no. Don't start shit like that ever again. With anyone. You were in Talon, you know the shit you get. If you ever do that again, I will break your jaw. Do you understand." Gabriel was growling out the last words and macs face had flushed in fear. Mac nodded sharply and the two returned into the room.

"Good. Now I'm gonna vouch for Thomas. He's talented and if anyone has any problems with him or his previous affiliations, direct them to me, because I have no qualms with punching any and all of you in the face. Any questions?" He gestured towards the room, looking at everyone individually.

"Good, now sit down and shut up. That includes you Thomas." All of the arranged people fell silent before Gabriel.

"Now we are going to Detroit, or what remains of it. As most of you know, during the omnic wars the omnium refinery was destroyed, hile the explosion was mostly contained and turned into an implosion radioactive material leaked into the rivers and surrounding areas. This, mixed with the heavy fighting rendered the city and surrounding area largely uninhabitable for several years, cleanup crews have cleaned out the radiation, but the city itself was left to lay by the U.S. president as both a memorial, and a reminder. Unfortunately for us not everyone is respectful of this memorial, we have reason to believe that over two thousand people are currently residing in the wreckage. That's where we come in. We are going to insert just outside the refinery, rappelling from forty feet and enter the refinery. We chase out the few dozen people residing in it, set a few explosives courtesy of slugger." Gabriel gestured at the man, who nodded and smiled.

"We set the explosives, clear the area with a warning to civvies to not return, burn the refinery to the ground and get back here. Simple. Everyone grab a Geiger counter and and Jane, you take some explosives with you in case slugger goes down. Lets move people. We leave in three and arrive in twenty." Everyone grabbed a geiger counter from the box, attaching it to their jackets before filing onto the transport. This is a Blackwatch transport. It is incredibly small, with two pilots in a cramped cockpit. There was no bathroom or armory like the larger Overwatch transports. A single central area, about six feet wide and twenty foot long housed twenty seats. The back would open up and allow everyone to rappel out. The whole vehicle resembled a chinook, but lacked rotors. After a few cursory checks on the vehicle and the crew and the small vehicle shot off from its position, moving through a burrowed entrance and flying away from the base. The flight would take around fifteen minutes, so everyone settled in. Thomas began to check the rifle he took while everyone else settled in and began their own pre op check ups. It was newer than anything else he had used before, but followed the same kind of principal as Ami's gun. Charge for a single powerful shot, capable of breaching most substances if enough time and ammo was acquitted, or fire automatically. The biggest problem was that Thomas was not properly trained to use the automatic firing mode. The only experience with automatics he had were much smaller caliber and less weight, and even those numbed his arm. While he picked at dust and anything that could jam the gun, Jason took a seat next to Thomas. He spoke in a New York accent.

"Hey kid, sorry about Mac. He's a dick through and through. Names Jason, though people call me stitch." Jason extended his large hand towards Thomas, who took it with no hesitation and shook it hard, though Jason's hand almost entirely engulfed Thomas's.

"Thomas. Why do they call you stitch? You the medic?" Jason smiled widely, revealing a row of pearly white teeth that looked well cared for.

"Nope, actually they call me that because I usually give anyone who fights me stitches." Thomas smirked back at the man.

"Heh. Yeah don't worry about Mac, I met him in Talon, he hasn't changed much, aside from the foot." Mac looked up from the other end of the transport.

"I can hear you!" Thomas looked back at him.

"And I can see you! Guess which ones more dangerous!" Macs nostrils flared but he remained seated and returned to his conversation. Jason smiled.

"Heh, the commander must have scared him straight to not respond to that." The two continued talking for the remainder of the trip, talking about other ops, at least what they were permitted to, and a few scant details of their home lives, mostly Jason's. Jason had a wife at home with two kids and had previously served in the U.S. army before joining the SEP program. His kids, two boys named Kyle and Johnny mitch, after their father's last name. One was twelve and the other was ten. Come soon the group were nearing the drop zone and the pilots turned on the optical camo, hiding the image of the transport from direct eyesight. Gabriel got up to speak with the assembled people, walking with purpose the entrance of the transport.

"Okay people, ready up. We're out in two." A sudden burst of activity came out as Reinhardt attached the last of his armor and others grabbed the bits of there kits that they left off during the flight. Gabriel stalked up to Thomas.

"Kid, don't fuc-"

"I won't fuck up your mission sir." Thomas looked Gabriel in the eyes, staring him down. Gabriel smirked and nodded, returning to the entrance of the craft. After another minute the craft came to a halt. The aft doors slid down to reveal a city buried in white. The daylight sun glittered and reflected from hundreds of different points around the small sliver of the city. Most large building has been knocked down by the constructions crews due to structural damage. No visible people roamed the city and in the near distance the Omnium refinery lay distinct in it was the last large building in the city. Near the drop off point was a river that ran semi obstructed by debris. Two coils of rope fell from the transport and Thomas leapt forward, grabbing the rope and sliding down without hesitation as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut block, sorry not sorry. If you want it comment so. The comments feed the beast.


	9. Chapter 9

Halfway down the rope the transport lurched, knocking Thomas free and tossing him into some rubble. The smell of burning fuel and the sound of gunshots appeared. Thomas shouted just before colliding into some rubble. Everyone in the transport stumbled around as Gabriel sprinted towards the pilots cockpit. As he opened the door several ballistic rounds flew free of the opening, bouncing around. Reinhardt was quick to stop them with his shield but two hit Gabriel in the arm. One pilot was dead, several rounds lodged in her corpse as the other desperately wrenched the shot up controls.

"GO!" Gabriel roared as the transport bucked, throwing him into a seat and knocking him out cold. Slugger ran towards the exit to grab a rope when several rounds hit him. The first several were absorbed by his chest armor but the sixth one slammed into his neck, ripping tissue and blood free. Slugger fell backwards as Reinhardt swung around his shield to block more bullets. When slugger hit the ground one of his grenades went off. Slugger was vaporized instantly and the back five feet of the transport were ripped clean of the rest, falling away. Reinhardt grabbed Mac and Jane, leaping free of the falling bird while Jason tried to grab Gabriel. The bird crashed but thankfully did not explode. Reinhardt landed with a loud thud onto the frozen street, raising his shield to incoming fire. Mac ran to a nearby building, dropping a small turret onto a wall. The turret immediately began sending out pulses, detecting all heat signatures and firing on any hostile targets out of cover. It only carried four hundred rounds, but it packed a punch. Reinhardt slowly fell back while Jane fired at any targets they could. The birds remains lay sideways with a living and conscious Jason patching the unconscious Gabriel. The pilot was slowly crawling free of the wires, but had two rounds in his right leg above the knee. thomas lay unconscious in the second story of what was once a food store, blood steadily pooling around him from a wound on his arm and another on the leg. Reinhardt was shouting orders to the two certainly alive members of his squad.

"Call the base, inform them of hostile interference and M.I.A., with possible W.I.A." Mac nodded and began calling it in when another explosion went off, throwing him into the wall with a loud crack. Jane ran to the stairs near Macs crumpled but still living body. She finished calling it in and began dragging mac up the stairs while reinhardt blocked attacks. One women with a spiked bat ran forward, falling backwards as three rounds filled her chest. Jason began dragging Gabriel away from the wreckage when he spotted the pilot pulling himself through the doorway. As Jason rose up from his spot to help the pilot a loud crackle sounded, sending Jason smashing into the ceiling of the transport and incapacitating him. His nerves were temporarily shot but he was still conscious. The pilot hunkered down and drew his laser pistol. Four soldiers stepped forward, aiming rifles and sweeping there weapon tac lights around the room. The did not spot the pilots black uniform against the black of the transport insides. The soldiers were all cyborgs, some missing arms and other needing mass rebuilding like Genji. They stepped forward and grabbed Gabriel and Jason, taking brief blood samples. After a moment the assumed leader spoke.

"Both SEP's. We should-" The pilot, a man named named Tyler algor with one little girl and a wife in Manhattan, fired two rounds at the first man holding up Jason. The mans head bucked hard, the bullets vaporizing armor and searing the right side of his face as the full head helmet overheated. The man screamed and dropped his capture, grabbing his face. The other three turned as tyler was yanked up from his hiding place by a fifth soldier who pinned him to the wall by his neck several feet of the ground. Tyler kicked out at the masked person but failed to do any damage.

"He's too skinny to be SEP. What do we do sir?" A distinctly feminine voice spoke. A soldier looked up from the now dead cyborg on the floor at Tyler, who continued to squirm as blood tried to rush to his starved brain and carry desperately needed oxygen.

"All non SEP are to be terminated." The woman nodded and raised he robotic right fist back, punching Tyler in the face once. his nose and jaw broke from the force of the blow and his head cracked against the back of the ceiling. Tyler screamed out, the sound bloody and high, more of an unintelligible shriek than anything else. The woman struck again, this time popping one of his eyes in the blow before punching him a third time. The blow struck through his skull, squishing brain in a pink explosion of gore as his body went limp in her grip. She let it fall to the ground and shook her hand free of the gore that now stained it. Tyler twitched helplessly on the ground as his blood ran through the cracked hull of the transport. Jason, seeing all of this was thankful he couldn't move as he would almost certainly vomit if he could. The soldiers lifted Jason and Gabriel by their armpits out onto some stretchers before running with them, leaving the corpses of the fallen cyborg and Tyler. While they made there escape Jane pulled the injured Tyler up another flight of stairs to the third floor of what was once a twelve story building, but now was only four. Reinhardt swung his hammer, catching another man in the head and cracking his head backwards from the force of the blow. Arrows, bullets and melee weapons smack his armor, very slowly eroding his armor and shielding. Already a lucky hit had hit his rib, cracking it but Reinhardt was undeterred in his fight. The small turret was now out of ammo, but still fed data to his visor as well as Janes.

"Sir, they are everywhere, we need to hold this floor. The rest of the roof is too exposed to be safe."

"Understood, set up defences, if I fall, don't let them get my armor." At least three dozen more hostiles remained, wielding a wide array of weapons, only some of which could be effectively blocked by shielding. Thomas was slowly rousing from what felt like a drunken stupor. His head hurt like he had a concussion and he felt surprisingly warm despite the near freezing outsides. After a moment he realized that the banging noise wasn't knocking, it was gunfire. Thomas sat up, pain springing from many parts of his body at once and his head shouting in disapproval. By some holy intervention, or more likely luck his rifle lay nearby. Thomas tried to rise up but fell. his leg screamed in pain at him. It didn't feel broken, but something was definitely hurt badly. After some limping and crawling he took the rifle, using it and the wall to stand up. Everything swirled and felt like it was going slowly and quickly, like time was breaking itself just for him. More gunshots rang out, not so distant snap pops and cracks. Thomas looked over the river below and spotted a group of people quickly moving on the opposite bank of the river. Thomas shook his head, desperate clear his vision and wiped at his left eye, noting the blood leaking from a head wound into his eye. With a stumbled final step Thomas collapsed onto the ruined windowsill, leaning on it and breathing hard. He felt tired, and heavy. his eye lids bagged him to close, and he wanted to, but somewhere in the back of his head was a voice, a distant memory about concussions and not falling asleep. Thomas looked through the rifle scope sighting the cyborgs. They dragged the stechters down the ruined road, nearing a corner dangerously fast. Thomas lined and charged a shot, firing it off at one cyborg. The shot went stray, slamming the ground near to the left. The cyborgs moved faster, with two turning and firing inaccurately at the horizon in Thomas's general direction, hoping to suppress the boy. Thomas fired another shot, clipping a stretcher and destroying its repulsorlifts. Gabriels unconscious body tipped off it, falling onto the snow. Thomas fired again, hitting nothing this time but scarring a cyborg away from Gabriel.

"Sir, the hostile seems injured, his shots are going wild. He may hit the targets!"

"Well, get a grenade in there!"

"AY SIR!" A cyborg aimed his wrist at the Thomas, lowering his hand and firing a wrist propelled rocket at the window. It flew at Thomas, white smoke bursting away as it dashed at the building. Thomas leapt out the window, bracing himself for impact, but the rocket struck the wall, the explosive force sending several bits of hot shrapnel into his abdomen and sending him flying towards the river. Thomas plunged into the cold water, the impact force forcing all of his air out of his lungs and diaphragm. He inhaled, desperate for air but found only cold water. The cold burned and stung and lashed at his wounds, tormenting him and making him thrash under its grip. he thrashed around, desperately trying to free himself of his burdensome kit and cursing himself for wearing such burdensome armor. Thomas felt himself sinking, and was struck by a curious idea, he was easily ten feet from the surface, so he let himself fall further. Either the call of death was more tempting than he thought, or his punished brain was still trying to save him. As he sunk he was grabbed by a current at the bottom of the river and swept along. Thomas lodged a foot into the ground of the river, pushing off and shedding his kit all at once. he made it out the freezing water, grabbing the shore and immediately vomiting water. His lungs felt full and he coughed uncontrollably, water splashing onto the snow in front of him. Before he could properly breathe he was hoisted up by a cyborg and had something sharp injected into him.

"Holy shit. It's wraith." The man turned to his boss to shout when a bullet intruded into his skull, pausing and deciding to stay there forever as he collapsed in a shower of sparks.

Across the way Jane smirked and scoped in on the next cyborg, firing again and slamming into the female cyborg. Thomas continued coughing, desperately trying to empty his lungs onto the snow. It felt like they were full and he shook violently, a mixture of what was certainly hyperthermia and blood loss making him feel extremely drunk. Jane and the cyborgs were now openly exchanging fire, but the cyborgs weapons shot faster than Jane's automatic rifle and they did not have to worry about accuracy, they just needed to suppress her. If Jane's shot went wild it could hit any of the three friendlies in the area. Reinhardt was still swinging, but the still two dozen enemies were eating at his armor alarmingly fast. With no other options available he swung his hammer into the ground, cracking the ground. The already unstable building shudders madly, debris raining down and barely staying up. The building the mercenaries were attacking from however collapsed, and all the mercenaries trying his Jane and the still unconscious Mac fell with it. The building fell into a second, pushing it over as well and claiming yet more enemies in the destruction. dust and snow and blood shot up as fresh screams filled the air. The mercenaries ran, taking what equipment and supplies they could as well as whatever people they could get to before disappearing just as quickly as they appeared, there forms lost to the smog and dust. Jane came down the stairs, dragging Mac behind her. He was now conscious, but his motor skill were shot.

"We need to get out of here sir! The buildings getter weaker it could collapse any second." Reinhardt nodded and grabbed Mac, slowly making his way across the building with Jane, carefully avoiding weaker spots or anything that moved when stepped on.

Not that far away Jason was no longer conscious. Gabriel however regained consciousness, his head wound already healing. He opened his eyes but didn't move. He was aware of the distinct lack of fighting. He looked around, spotting two dead cyborgs leaking blood and various mechanical fluids. One of their weapons was nearby and Gabriel risked a glance at his tablet built into the left arm glove. It reader 100% death blossom ready. Gabriel smiled and lunged from his prone position to the nearest gun, activating his death blossom. Once he reached the gun he immediately began firing at any remaining enemies. The cyborgs were off guard and two of them fell after some short seconds of Gabriel's direct and accurate fire. The fifth cyborg noticed this and turned, running from Thomas's body to attack Gabriel. Thomas pulled his pistol out and fired twice, each shot going wild. The cyborg turned around and sprinted fearlessly facing the bullets and kicking the firearm from Thomas's hand. The man fell on Thomas, wielding a knife and burying it in the snow next to Thomas's head, were it had been moments ago. Thomas tried to punch the man, but his hand was grabbed was grabbed. The man lifted his body up and tossed him towards the river. As Thomas lay still, hissing loudly in pain and letting out a small whimper. The man ran up and grabbed Thomas's neck, plunging his head below the water. Thomas panicked, sucking in another breathe of water into his lungs. Thomas gripped a cement chunk and swung it into the cyborgs head, knocking him off the boy. Thomas raised his head out of the water but he was rolled over by the cyborg's savage kick.

The cyborg plunged Thomas's head back into the water, holding his right arm behind him and preventing Thomas from effectively fighting back. Under his mask the man smiled at the thrashing young man under him, holding his head steady and counting out the seconds. After fifty seconds Thomas stopped thrashing and the cyborg went to get up after ten more seconds but Gabriel tackled him, driving his knife up into the man's chin and into his skull, severing his brain and its brain stem. The man fell back, life leaving his eyes. Gabriel got up and grabbed Thomas, pulling him free of the river. Blood ran onto the boys pointed chin and down from a nasty head gash just above the left eye. Gabriel checked the boys heart, and found it had stopped. He quickly set about saving Thomas. The boys skinny cheeks looked almost sunken and were a light blue. Gabriel began chest compression, and everytime he did a little more water fell from the boys mouth and drained onto the snow. Gabriel continued doing this, desperate to revive the boy and shouting into his wrist tablet for help and for the group survivors to regroup. Gabriel had no idea who survived, but for now he needed to save at least one member of his team.

"Damnit kid. You do not have permission to die on me now." He continued, expelling more and more water from the boys lungs, but the more he got out the more he noticed small specks of red in it. After a strong hit Thomas opened his eyes, gasping out and immediately choking. Gabriel grabbed Thomas, yanking him up and holding him tightly while he tried to vomit out excess water. Gabriel tilted Thomas's head and body to help him breath and clear his airways. After two minutes of that Thomas stopped vomiting and exhaled loudly, the sound stressed and pained. Gabriel pulled him back into an upright position, keeping him that way while Thomas coughed, still struggling to breathe. Thomas's chest felt tight and everything felt cold. His entire body and clothes were soaked thoroughly.

"J- argh." Thomas's voice was rough and scratchy, and speaking hurt. It hurt like fire was dancing on him and his throat.

"Don't speak kid. We need to go."

"Ro. A... on." Gabriel shook his head.

"Kid. come on." Thomas grabbed his shirt and pulled him close.

"Aon!" He pointed to the right at the no longer floating stretcher. Gabriel saw it and hoisted Thomas to his feet, going to the spot. The snow dragged at his boots and Thomas was totally limp in his grip. As he got closer to the spot he spotted the body of what looked like Jason. Gabriel felt his heart fall as he set Thomas on the ground and ran up to his friend. He turned over the man and checked his pulse. It was there and strong. He looked mostly uninjured. Gabriel looked at the stretcher, trying to turn it on but the repulsor pads were burned out. He looked over to Thomas and saw he was asleep. Gabriel jumped up and shook the young man, rousing him from slumber.

"Stay awake kid! You've got a concussion. Shit." Gabriel looked at Thomas. his eyes were half lidded and blood ran freely from the open head wound. He was shivering uncontrollably, his chattering and body twitching. Gabriel took off his jacket and wrapped it around the boy, hoping it could warm him and returned to Jason, hoisting up the much larger man onto one of the stretchers. Not so far away loud footsteps crunched out and Gabriel grabbed his stolen gun, falling to the ground and aiming at the corner he heard the sound coming from. Holding his position he risked a glance at Jason, who was laying totally still on the stretcher, then at Thomas, who was leaning on some rubble, shivering. His head would dip and he would snatch it up, trying to stay awake. A bright blue went around the corner, and thankfully Gabriel recognized it. Reinhardt stepped around the corner, holding his shield and steadily advancing. He spotted me and even though I could not see his face I felt the wide warm smile under his armor.

"Reaper! You are alive my friend!" Reinhardt closed the distance and was followed by the still unconscious Mac and thankfully mostly uninjured Jane. Gabriel actually smiled.

"Good. Your here. Slugger, Alice? Tyler?" Jane set Mac down, leaning him against a piece of rubble. His body housed several cuts and what would be large bruises, but other than that he was mostly uninjured.

"Where is specter?" Jane asked, looking up from Mac's unconscious form. Gabriel looked over at him, quickly running up to him. Thomas was still awake, but he was quickly nodding off. Blood coated the left side of his face and dripped from down his chin onto the coat and the ground. Gabriel put his hand to the boys cheek. It was cold to the touch. Gabriel wrapped his arms around the boy, effortlessly lifting him up. Thomas whimpered as he was lifted and Gabriel held him tightly to his body. The SEP program made gave people increased muscle mass and gain rates. It also kicked up there metabolism and made them living furnaces. Gabriel quickly came back to Reinhardt.

"Is he...?" Reinhardt hesitated to finish the sentence. Gabriel shook his head.

"No, but we need a car, preferably a fast one." Jane nodded and sprinted back where they came from. Gabriel sat down and held the bundle in his arms close to him, desperately trying to warm the half frozen boy. Reinhardt dragged the stretcher with Jason on it near Mac and Gabriel and set up his shield, guarding the wounded members of his squad. Jane was busying herself with a truck she thought to be in working order. It looked like it was once a city vehicle from one of the rebuilders in the inhabitable district. As Jane worked snow began to fall more intensely and the wind picked up, whipping at the group and tugging at their clothes. Jason slowly came to, twitching his fingers to get attention. Gabriel noticed this movement and looked at his old friend. Jason managed to smile as he slowly worked feeling into his body again. Everything tingled in Jason's body, but at least it was manageable. Luckily before the group could freeze in the wind of this frozen hell hole made colder than ever by the omnic wars destruction Jane got the truck started and brought it around, stopping it next to the group. Reinhardt loaded onto the bed of the truck, sitting down and pushing the suspension of the repulsor truck to near death. Jane helped load both Mac and Jason into the vehicle. Jason sat in the back passenger seat, still struggling to regain feeling in his body. Mac sat in the back driver seat, his cheek resting on the surface of the glass.

"Jane, get the heater on high in there and I need your jacket." Jane nodded and took off her Jacket before heading back into the vehicle. Gabriel took the Jacket and carefully blocked the groups view of Thomas before stripping off his pants and jacket and most of his clothes. He left the shirt on, with shrapnel in him he wanted to staunch the bleeding. clothes. All of the items were soaked and little bits of frost stiffened the legs of his pants. The shirt and underwear were both soaked as well. The wet clothes hung onto Thomas's body and outlined Thomas's skinny frame. Gabriel carefully took both his and Jane's Jackets and wrapped the boy up in both of them, nearly cocooning everything except his head. Thomas still struggled to stay awake, his head dipping and shooting up again. Because Gabriel, who was six foot four inches, and Jane who was six foot three were both drastically taller and larger than Thomas the jackets wrapped around him several times and added about another twenty pounds to the boys weight. Gabriel hoisted up the boy into his arm and climbed into the passenger seat of the car, careful not to hurt his new package. Reinhardt poked his head in through the back window, his helmet off and resting in the bed of the truck.

"Jane, did you get a signal through?" Jane shook her head no.

"Sorry sir, they knew what they were doing. The signal was jammed. Hold on back there." Jane gunned the truck, which shot forward at a surprising speed. Reinhardt lurched in the back of the truck, nearly losing his helmet. He put it back on to secure both it and himself before speaking again.

"Okay, I will try to raise them myself. How is everyone?" Gabriel shook his head.

"We're all wounded. One critically so. Mac is stabilized and unconscious, as is Jason. I was hit twice, but the rounds went clean through, missing muscle and bone thankfully. What about you two?" Jane shrugged.

"Cuts, bruises, a possible broken rib. Reinhardt definitely broke a few ribs thanks to bullet impact but he should be fine. Right sir?" Reinhardt nodded and smiled under his helmet.

"Yes Jane. I will close this now to warm the cabin." Gabriel nodded and returned his attentions to Thomas, gently shaking him out of a near sleep stupor. Thomas blinked repeatedly and murmured something before pressing himself up closer to Gabriel and his intense body heat and letting his eyes close again. Gabriel jostled him, shaking him before he could fall asleep.

"Come on Gabe. Let me sleep a little while longer." Thomas murmured, shifting around to be more comfortable. His face contorted in pain from the movement.

"Sorry kid. I'm not losing anyone else." Thomas grumbled and shifted again, curling in on himself and wincing.

"Come on kid stay awake. Hey, what's five times twelve?"

"Ask a calculator Gabe." His voice was scratchy and he coughed. Small flecks of blood fell on his lips.

"No kid, I need you to do this. Now what is it?"

"Uh... sixty."

"Good, what's thirteen times thirteen?"

"One hundred...one hundred....." Thomas began to drift off but was yanked back into consciousness by Gabriel.

"Kid! Stay awake, that's an order! Now what is thirteen times thirteen." Thomas's head lolled on his shoulders.

"It's a hundred sixty... hundred sixty something." Gabriel smiled.

"Good job, just a little longer kid." Gabriel looked behind him at Mac and Jason. mac was out cold, but no fresh blood caked his bandages. Jason's eyes where open, and he nodded at Gabriel, but the rest of him was still mostly uncooperative. Gabriel nodded back and rapped his knuckles on the back window. Reinhardt poked his head back in through the window.

"Pickup ETA?"

"Ten minutes at position 4. They'll wait for us so focus on not crashing." Jane nodded and reinhardt retreated from the cabin, trapping the warmer air inside. Thomas was now mumbling incoherently, the effects of hypothermia causing him to both feel and act drunk. For his part he fought to stay awake, though Gabriel still needed to help him stay awake. Position four was a quarter hour away from the trucks current location at its current speed. Jane was reluctant to push the somewhat aged vehicle any faster and risk it breaking. Mac was still unconscious but Jason had slowly drifted in, his nerves and body stinging and aching from the shock. Whatever weapon he had been hit with, it was a painful as it was debilitating. Jason made a low groaning noise and Gabriel turned around and smiled wider than Jason had ever seen him.

"Well well well. Welcome back to the land of the living. A.K.A. hell." Jason's lips twitched, but the left side of his face lifted upwards in a half smile. Tingling feelings filled him but it was unavoidable. As Thomas fought consciousness and Jason fought to regain the feeling in his body a tense silence filled the vehicle. The silence was audible, pierced only by Thomas's haggard breathing, which was slowly becoming worse. After a minute of two Jane spoke.

"You did take off his socks and gloves right?" Gabriel nodded.

"Yes, they're in the pile with the rest of them. I left the shirt on too staunch the bleeding." Jane nodded and fell silent again. The passing landscape was sad. The trees seemed to weep as each one held only a scant handful of leaves. They all had little green on them and each one tilted in a single unanimous direction. The road was beaten and battered, with holes marking the road every few feet. Gabriel hugged the bundle tighter, feeling a dampness slowly spread and for once hoped that the kid had simply pissed himself and was not bleeding his way through three layers of clothing. Thomas's cheeks were a flushed sky blue, but he had already developed a fever hot enough that Gabriel could feel it before he even placed his bare hand on the boys forehead.

Eventually the landing sites road splintered away from the potted road and ghastly trees and skeletal building, up a large hill and onto what would soon be the landing site, a path of cleared trees and relative safety. As relative as it could be. Gabriel felt a smile on his face as he spotted a grand Overwatch transport, sitting in its grandeur. The large transports had always seemed to much to him. The armory and medbay were small, smaller combined than the main unloading area, but it was not for war as much as transport. A dozen operatives were spread out, and Gabriel spotted Ana among them. Of course she would be there.

Between the agents themselves, there was Reinhardt on board, and Thomas. For reasons unknown to many Ana and Reinhardt had gone from simple flirting to a semi open relationship. This change had been indistinct, and one day people just began noticing that the two shared little kisses and pulled another close to them, not at all discreet or caring. Similarly unknown, was why she had taken Thomas so close to her. Few knew of Thomas at all. Mainly just the residents of the current HQ cycle and a scant handful of higher ups and pencil pushers. People to requisition gear, and deposit pay and write little notes patting themselves and other politicians on the back for any good deed or successful op that occured, and to include the name 'Spectre' in different notes. But despite knowing him for such a short time Ana had quickly pulled him close, the same way she had Lena. The boy would help her any time he could, often leaping at the opportunity to fetch her something, and dropping whatever he was doing if she invited him to tea or lunch. Gabriel or Jack would often ask her why, but Ana had always brushed it aside.

Except for one time when Tarsk, an administrative agent, had noted that Ana should not baby the new agent. Tarsk had said that Thomas was dangerous, and noted he often reacted in near feral ways to other agents being even slightly aggressive to him, or one of the few people he seemed to like or care about. More than once he would growl at people. The sound was actually intimidating, or so Gabriel heard. At one point he had broken the finger of an agent, just because he had shoved past him and said a 'rude and derogatory comment comparing both myself and Lena to something much less than we are'. That's what Thomas had said, and argued when Jack told him he would need to apologize and their would be punishment. He had argued profusely until Ana had spoke to him privately. There had been no shouting or loud swearing with Ana, and after just a scant few minutes Thomas skuled away from Jack's office, off to do whatever tasks he had been assigned.

Ana had not been happy with Tarsk, and after scolding him publicly in during the meeting on why it was not his business she had spoke to him privately. It was one of the few times Gabriel could remember hearing Ana speak loudly enough to hear her through one of the walls. Tarsk had left, banished to paperwork island with a white face. When Gabriel had asked, Tarsk had said he was only allowed to say that Thomas lacked 'things every person deserved' and 'If he ever said something', even as small as it had been, 'again she would banish him to ecopoint 12, Siberia.' The meeting had resumed without point, and Ana did not miss a beat and the day continued as normal.

'I think Tarsk is still at paperwork island, up to his neck in paper cuts, bureaucracy and low digital light. A fate worse than death.' The truck rolled to a stop and two agents ran up, weapons raised at the truck. One opened the front door on the left, the other on the right. The man on the right spoke, his voice gruff and deep.

"Callsign?" Gabriel spoke next, his voice swelling with authority.

"Echo, Alpha, Foxtrot seven seven one." The man nodded. Jane and Reinhardt both gave off different codes, proving they were not in fact someone else. After this several other agents surged forward, mostly Ana and medical personal. One put down a shield emitter, surrounding the large group and encasing them in the soft blue protective bundle. One young woman who Gabriel recognized as Malyssa, who had shoulder length red hair and wide blue eyes filled with a wonder that never seemed to stop approached, pushing a repulsor stretcher. She possesses large freckles on her cheeks and her face was rounded, a sharp contrast to the tighter angles of Angela's face. 

"Hello sir. I can take him." She smiled widely at Gabriel, but he was not fooled. Malyssa loved helping people, but wasted no time on people who refused treatment. Malyssa was Angela's prodigy and was privy to many secretive projects, such as her nanite injections and even her protype healing beam, which was still being developed. This close partnership had gifted the same sense of protective intervention that Angela possesses. Gabriel new better than to argue with her, despite his want to keep the bundle close to him. Gabriel stepped free of the truck, careful of the slippery ground and the aged step. Thomas groaned quietly at the movement and Malyssa's face darkened. Gabriel lowered Thomas onto the stretcher and Thomas's face tightened in pain. His eyes were closed now and blood that coated his face had since become somewhat crusty. It collected on his eyebrows and eyelashes and his hair had become matted in it. The wound appeared to be mostly closed, but the amount of blood meant something had hit something important. The coats were still wrapped around Thomas, and he was rushed away by Malyssa to a waiting Angela and medical crew. A second stretcher was rushed away carrying Mac and a third with a semi conscious Jason on it. Ana and Reinhardt were talking. Reinhardt laughed boisterously, uncaring of his broken ribs or bodily damage. Jane had also since exited the truck and turned it off. Now the rest of the group made its way onto the transport, unhindered by any hostile forces.

The inside of the transport was surprisingly calm. Every other member of the strike team was in the med bay. The truck had been left at the landing sight, turned off and abandoned yet again. Eight tables were set equally distant from each other, with some medical equipment set up and bolted onto the floor of the large transport. Mac lay in one of the corner beds, an I.V. attached and other unharmed. Reinhardt was being freed from his armor, slowly. Ana, a man named Jake and a woman named Anne fought to free the large man from his heavily dented armor. An occasional grunt of pain could be heard from him as he released his armor plates, slowly stripping down to the jump suit underneath. Jane was being attended to by another of Angela's assistants. She was mostly unharmed, a few bruises and scratches but nothing serious, not for an SEP soldier. Jacob was laying on a bed, his fingers twitching madly and occasionally his arms and legs would twitch. The stunning agent used on Jacob was powerful, but not permanent. Gabriel had an agent fishing out one of the rounds that was lodged into his shoulder. Thomas sat on another corner of the room, a large privacy curtain drawn around the bed and area. Angela had a long cylindrical light that displayed its light down the right side of the device. Angela raised and lowered it around Thomas, having him look at it to test his cognitive retention. He had a major concussion, and Angela had spent the first several minutes cleaning away the blood that caked the side of Thomas's face with a wet cloth. The wound itself that bleed so intensely lay almost directly over Thomas's temple, piercing the vein there. The wound would heal easily, and with the blood cleared away looked much less serious than Angela had first thought. An I.V. containing AB- blood hung ready nearby. Angela simply needed to ensure that Thomas could be given anesthetic. The prognosis was... grim. Thomas definitely had a punctured lung, possibly with liquid still inside one or both of them. The river itself was still highly irradiated, so all that water was filled with radioactive particles. The I.V. would help clean out the radioactive particles, and nanite injections would help as well. The problem with that was if he had internal bleeding, and external bleeding the solution would leak out of him and onto the ground.

"Okay, can you speak? What is my name?" Thomas blinked groggily.

"Octor... nla." Thomas winced and his he placed a hand on his head, resting it there. Angela sighed and gently took his hand away from his chin and looked at it.

"Open your mouth please." Thomas obliged, wincing again. The inside of his mouth was better than she expected. All of his teeth were surprisingly intact, but blood had definitely been pooling in his mouth, only to be swallowed. His jaw did not appear broken, but looks were deceiving. Angela removed her gloved fingers from his mouth and turned off the flashlight. Thomas needed an x-ray so Angela could determine what was damaged. Angela stepped out around the privacy curtain and approached Ana. Ana saw the worried look on Angela's face made Ana's smile disappear.

"I need you to go in with Thomas. I need to check his bloods contamination levels. Don't let him sleep. Don't let blood pool in his mouth, have him spit it out, he'll listen to you. He cannot lay back, he may not be able to stay conscious. His jaw is not broken, so try to get him to form coherent sentences. Finally if he passes out attach the breathing mask and the I.V. while Malyssa gets me. " Ana nodded at the rapid sentence, understanding all of it. Angela quickly walked off at a fast pace, making her way across the small room and sorting through the several vials of blood and checking the computer. ana made her way to the corner, stepping into the small section. Thomas was still wrapped in the coat, his skin blue and grey. He was shaking and sweat beaded off his head and onto the coats. Ana stepped forward, the movement making Thomas's head lift up in response. He blinked several times and smiled weakly at Ana, who smiled back at him before approaching Thomas.

"Hello Thomas."

"Hi." He winced after speaking, attesting the pain he felt. To Thomas, everything hurt all at once, which was good. He faintly remembered being told that going into shock meant losing feeling in your body, that you would die soon if you felt no pain. Thomas's lungs felt cold and burned at the same time. When he breathed he felt the liquid trapped inside him slosh and pain shot through him. Whenever he tried to move the shrapnel lodged in his abdomen sent hot waves of pain through him. The inside of the coats were soaked, in both urine and blood. If he was more coherent Thomas would have felt shame at having pissed himself, but when he was being drowned it had just happened. Thomas's arms were both shaking uncontrollably, and he couldn't see out of his left eye. he couldn't open it either though, and the entire side of his face felt sticky. He felt a hand gently touch his face and jerked back, gasping out in pain. Ana looked concerned and her mouth was moving. Thomas focused back in on the conversation that he had been absent from.

"What?'

"I was just trying to keep you awake." Ana was worried. Thomas looked horrible, and he seemed to worsen before her eyes every few seconds. His head was resting on his shoulder, small amounts of blood dripping from his lips. He blinked his open eye slowly, and the eye stayed closed longer each time. Ana took a wet clothe and began gently wiping the fresh blood and dabbing at the dirt. Thomas smiled and leaned into the touch, sighing quietly. The sound was... unpleasant. It sounded like someone clearing their nose when they had the flu. Thomas opened his eyes again, and smiled weakly at Ana. Angela came back in, holding a clipboard in one hand. Malyssa followed close behind Angela and closed the privacy curtain behind her.

"Okay, radioactive particle count is noted. We can begin." Thomas's eyes darted from Angela to Ana, fear plain in his eyes. Ana put a hand on his shoulder, calming the shaking boy.

"Don't worry. It's Angela." Thomas nodded slowly and Angela smiled. Angela had talked to Thomas before and patched him up a few times. He was very polite to her, and called her Dr. Ziegler or Dr. Angela occasionally. Angela enjoyed his company and he often ate and trained with Fareeha. The two had become close friends fairly quickly. Angela had however learned that before meeting Angela Thomas was terrified of doctors. While he would never talk to anyone but Ana about why, his aversion and time in Talon told Angela all she needed to. She did appreciate that Thomas trusted her enough to not interfere.

"Okay Thomas, can you lay back on the bed please?" Thomas nodded slowly and began to scoot back along the bed. It hurt him to move, but he knew that I he wanted to live he needed to listen to Angela. Once far enough away from the edge of the bed Thomas lay back on the bed, slowly lowering himself down before falling the last few inches onto the bed. The bed was soft, made of a malleable foam material. Thomas groaned as he lay on the bed. Angela took the breathing mask and lowered it onto him, strapping it into place. Thomas struggled to breathe properly, each breathe sounding more haggard than the last. Thomas's hands now rested on either side of him, and he flexed his fingers nervously, making a fist than releasing it. Ana took his hand, holding it tightly. He squeezed her hand back in silent thanks. Thomas's hand felt cold and small beads of sweat had accumulated on the back of his both of them. Angela took a step back and adjusted the mixture that went into the breathing mask. It was meant to act as a numbing agent, a very powerful one, without rendering Thomas unconscious. He could not speak properly, and Angela worried that the concussion would put him in a coma if he fell asleep.

After two minutes Thomas couldn't feel much of anything, and he fought to keep panic from setting in. Angela began putting on sterile gear while Malyssa took away the coat wrapped around Thomas. Underneath the coat was Thomas's previous white blue shirt was stained bright red with yellow tinges near the bottom. The black boxers were stained in a similar manner. Malyssa began cutting the shirt away, not exacerbate any wounds in his abdomen or torso. Cutting away the shirt reveals eight pieces of rock and metal, lodged into his abdomen in various places and depths. Thomas groaned and let out a quiet whimper at the movement. Malyssa took a sanitized sheet with a hole in the center and draped it around Thomas, covering his torso and most of his legs but leaving the area with shrapnel exposed. The area affected was stained red, and as Malyssa wiped away at the stained and irritated skin she discovered much of the skin itself was rubbed red. Large bruises marked him on his chest and stomach, some wrapping around his body. There was a large one on his ribs in particular that reached behind him that could have cracked a rib, or broken one.

Angela came forward with latex gloves and sanitized tools, setting them down on a small stool near her. Thomas's mind was hazy. Thick clouds rolled through his head, and thoughts slipped around. He was frustrated. Frustrated that he couldn't pin them. Frustrated that he felt like this. That he felt embarrassed. That a nagging voice in the back of his head kept speaking to him.

'Your dead.' it said.

'Your dead. Your dead. Why fight it? Your dead.' It repeated this, over and over again, pressing on Thomas and magnifying the pain in his head.

"Nooo." Thomas moaned at it. He wasn't dead. He felt a warm and soft presence hold his hand and clung to it, greedily taking its warmth. Strange feeling invaded him, but none of it was painful. The worst part was the voice, the constant, ceaseless chattering noise of the voice. It tore into Thomas, it felt like it was prying bits of his skull off. Like someone was trying to hurt him. And they were succeeding.

"Noooo." Thomas moaned again, quieter this time. Whether he was talking to her or hallucinating was unknown to Angela, she needed to focus on other things anyways. The scalpel in her hand was used to cut away at a small bit of skin, and she used a set of tweezers to gently free another small piece of metal. This one was twisted, and looked like shrapnel from the rocket propelled grenade. The red metal dripped as Angela examined it, and the gentle sound was cacophonous even amid the hum of machinery and rattle of Thomas's breathe. Shaking herself free she set the metal along the other pieces, two of which were rock shards, and now two of which were metal shards. Malyssa was already sewing the wound up, placing a small growth agent which would help the flesh and blood vessels regrow without the need for major surgery. The next piece of metal looked straight, and slid out with relative ease. Small chunks of gore dribbled down from it and Thomas let out another pained whimper. This one was louder than the others.

Gabriel lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling and listening the occasional pained whimper Thomas made as he underwent surgery. The usual feelings that came with a botched mission came now. Tim. Alice. Tyler. Gabriel knew Tyler's wife. He'd met here several times, and had even met his baby girl. Tyler's wife was strict, even with Tyler, but she was kind. Tim only had his sister left in the world, but abriel had known Tim for 11 years. He'd done hundreds of ops with him. They'd had beers together. Tim knew about Gabriel and Jack. He'd attended Paul's funeral. And Tim hadn't died a hero. From what he learned from Reinhardt, he was hit, then he was gone, along with a quarter of the transport. There wouldn't be anything for a casket. Alice had been new. The girl was always frowning, but she wasn't unpleasant to be around. When he got back Gabriel had three things to do. One was to write several letters. Two was two report this to the write people. Three was to skin the bastard respoinsible for this alive, and hang him or her by their nuts and/or tits.

The last piece of rubble came free, still holding a chunk of flesh. Thomas blinked, his eyes greyed and unfocused. The hazel color had dulled out, and the life in his eyes was faded. He was alive, but the machine read his pulse and displayed it was slowly getting weaker. The transport touched onto the ground back at the base, and just in time. Ana took a privacy sheet and draped it over Thomas and began the final touches she needed to transport him. After a moment Angela took the stretcher and the necessary equipment and began rolling it, with help from both Malyssa and Ana. Pulling back the privacy curtain medical crews were already pushing into the transport, examining the rest of the team. Thomas was the only one critically injured, and Angela continued to push towards the emergency care unit. He would need and xray to look for breaks in the bones, they would need to check for brain damage first though. If he had none then he could be put under and proper surgery could commence. Several other nurses and doctors fell into step with Angela, following her to the Intensive care unit.

The care unit itself was, in a word, medical. Various machines lined the walls, and several multi purpose units, machines that could do a wide variety of tasks, from monitoring to active intervention. The room itself was large. Large enough to fit the machinery and people to use it and operate on the person. The tests showed that the concussion was just a concussion. No brain damage, no hemorrhaging. that meant that Thomas could be safely put under. The tests revealed that three small breaks had formed in his ribs, the most damaging part of the mission was the large amount of water in his lungs, they needed to be drained. That would be difficult, but not undoable. Thomas also had an I.V. in either arm, both of which fed blood, steroids, nutrition and radiation removing elements into him.


	10. Chapter 10

The surgery went well, as well as it could. Angela replaced the first of the two bags of blood, glancing at Thomas's resting form. He was totally unconscious now, bandages wrapped around the left side of his face, covering his eye and the wound itself and pinning his hair down. More bandages wrapped around his chest and back. Angela made a note to talk to Thomas about the... scars there. Tiny cuts and bruises marked his legs and arms, though most of them would heal and the only scars would be from the head wound and some of the shrapnel wounds. Thomas's breathing was much clearer now, the breathing masks solution would help dry out the residual fluid in his lungs. His pulse had stabilized and his temperature sat at 96.2, which was surprisingly low, but only .4 degrees lower than his regular temperature. Angela took a moment to readjust the blanket wrapped around Thomas to better cover him and walked to the door, turning off the light so that he would stay asleep. The anesthetic would keep him under for the next twelve hours at least while a nanite injection and steroid solution in helped his body put itself back together, but patients reported that they had a more peaceful sleep when the harsh lights were off. Stepping outside the room and gently closing the door she discovered four people, sitting outside. Ana, Gabriel, Jack and Amelie. Ana and Amelie were understandable, but Gabriel should be resting from his own bullet wounds and head trauma. SEP or no injury is injury. It was also surprising to see Jack there. She knew that he had taken a more hands on approach to training Thomas and that the two were fighting less since the Portugal mission but is was surprising to see him here. The unspoken question stood in the air, handing and creating a tangible sense of both dread and suspension. Rather than wait and waste time Angela answered the three questions most commonly asked at once.

"Thomas is fine, he should be under for at least another day. He should make a full recovery, no broken bones to speak of but three cracked ribs. No, no one may visit him while he is unconscious, and once he is conscious it will be at his discretion." Angela turned and walked down a small hallway to the main medical center, silently hoping that no one would follow her. Hoping that they would just accept her professional prognosis and go back to there jobs. But as she fled to her office she heard one set of feet follow her, so she let her door hang open as she entered her office. She used a metal door, a plain clean metal door. One that used hinges. It was somewhat refreshing to have the manual option to open a door, and it was a little piece of her home she enjoyed keeping with her, the swinging door, not the door itself. Angela isn't that sentimental. As she approached her metal desk she bid in her head who followed her. It probably wasn't Ana or Gabe, and Jack was... unlikely. he was probably just here with Gabe. Amelie then. That's the guess. Angela sat in the chair, spinning in the chair until she was facing the desk and observed she was wrong, not for the first time. What sounded like one set of footsteps was two, either in synchronisation or some other way, was actually two, belonging to both Gabriel and Jack.

"Before either of you say anything, Gabriel, you need to be resting. You've been shot." She looked at Jack.

"And you, your... Gabriel has been shot. Comfort him because I am very busy." Jack smiled though Gabriel looked less amused.

"We're sorry to bother you-" And he's using the diplomat voice. That suave soothing, your right and I'm agreeing with you tone. It was effective.

"-But we were just curious as too both Thomas's long term condition and... we need to ask a favor, or multiple favors." Angela knew what they hinted at.

"The walls are soundproof. I'll give all survivors, aside from the SEP, an extra dose of our special concoction. As for Thomas's long term health... it's complicated. As I said before, his cellular composition is unlike anything I have ever seen in my professional life. Of course, inability to communicate his.. special condition has hampered my efforts to find its cause." Jack stepped forward and took a seat on one of the two chairs in front of Angela's desk. Gabriel remained standing, his face betraying nothing.  
"Right. So exactly what does his special cell structure mean to his recovery? And future medical care?"

"Well, I don't know. His cells have two cell membranes. His Ribosomes are hyper productive, which explains why he needs a lot of food. And sleep. His cells die at twice the normal rate, but grow new ones just as quickly. On top of that, Thomas's cells and blood, they, well they- there are multiple sets of DNA in his body. I cannot identify them properly, or if he generated all of them. But to have more than one genetic code, and live, it's unheard of. I don't know what happened to him, but there the chance of him naturally generating multiple genetic codes is, well its science fiction. Barely even science at that." Jack and Gabriel were both listening intently, both of their faces showing understanding of what she was talking about.  
"So" Jack said. "If he has this, special condition, can he even receive blood and nanites?"

"Oh yes. I tested it on his blood samples. They take well, and it is rather fascinating to watch. His cells, they are like viruses. They attack they fresh cells, and the ones that don't become corrupted and die, and transferred into one of the three types of DNA sets I have been able to more or less determine. I have put his samples with other samples, and what he said is true. The samples mix, and within twenty four hours all cells die, his included." Now it was Gabriel's turn to speak.

"So how come he can accept blood and fluids belonging to someone else, but not vice versa." Now Gabe was speaking. Angela began typing on her computer, searching for a particular graph she created for just this occasion. While she did have work to do, the two men in front of her were still her superiors, and military rank applied even in the medical field.

"You see" She turned the screen to show Jack and Gabe the graph. "Most people receive blood and the new blood is locked into the system, becoming genetically identical and unidentifiable. But Thomas's, if his blood mixes with another, in a large enough quantity, say a liter or more, then his blood acts like a virus and actively converts the host cells. It's fascinating. The rapid growth of cell membranes and genetic tailoring, will kill the host of all cells quickly." Gabe spoke again, viewing the models on the computer.

"Is it just blood?"

"Yes. Olivia brought up all files she could steal from Talon on Thomas, or Wraith as they called him. The Talon officials were very... thorough with there tests. It explains his aversion to doctors. Only blood has an effect on others. Saliva, sweat and other... bodily secretions have no effect on the host." Jack nodded in understanding.

"Okay, that was all. When the agents wake up from their respective surgeries and treatments do what we requested. And thank you for everything." Angela nodded and turned her screen back to her side of the desk. She pulled up a log and began typing, and it was a minute later before she realized that both Gabriel and Jack had yet to leave. They both stood at the door, looking at her. Jack was a stickler for manners.

"You're welcome." Jack nodded and exited the open door, with Gabriel following close behind. With a gentle shake of her head in amusement Angela returned to her work, logging injuries and supplies manifests.

Two days later.

"So, how is everyone doing?" Ana asked. She had entered a few moments ago after knocking and sat down with a pitcher of tea and two cups for it. It was a tradition now. After Ana had found out her daughter was dating, especially someone who was 25 to the nineteen year old Fareeha, she had been less than pleased. More than one threat had been passed from her, and for the first time Angela watched the usually calm and collected woman explode. The saying, don't push the nice guy doesn't even come close to what it had been. Even with Fareeha present the confrontation had not gone well, and Ana had stormed away. It took three weeks before she could talk to Angela maturely. It had taken even longer before Ana returned to personal friendship with Angela. The problem had never been Fareeha being Bisexual, it had been, as Ana had... colorfully illustrated 'that a woman of her caliber would be so stupid to date such a young and inexperienced girl was atrocious.' Fareeha was far more experienced than Ana knew, but it was not a good time to point that out. Now, after four years of being together Ana considered Angela family, and invited her, alongside Jesse, Lena and this year Ana was going to invite Amelie and Olivia, and most of the people agreed that they wanted Thomas to come along as well.

According to Lena, Fareeha and Olivia Thomas is very polite and understands. He gives rational solutions and has become a fast friend to most of the group. Ana hoped Thomas would come along as well, to there holiday for Thanksgiving, and if things were not to busy stay for Christmas.

"For the most part, they are well. Reinhardt healed as he usually does, by disobeying my guidelines and using an emitter plus nanites. Mac, Jane and Jacob have all recovered well. Jacob received no nerve damage, at least no permanent damage. Jane recovered as if nothing happened at all, Mac has nothing but a small scar. Gabriel is fine as well." The elephant still lay undisturbed.

"Very good. Reinhardt has had no complaints about his injuries. So how is Thomas doing. I know that Jack and Gabe expressed concern over Thomas's condition. I read the private copy of the report, but I'm curious as to his condition. And how he is doing." Angela nodded and accepted a cup of tea. Today was a new blend, though not an unpleasant one.

"Thomas's doing well. He's fully stabilized and he accepted the blood and nanites well. The skin wounds are healing quickly, and his lungs have dried well, but the ribs are taking longer to heal than expected. He is sleeping peacefully now, and I've taken the restraints off him." Ana nodded and drank from her own cup.

"Why was he so fitful?"

"The infection in his lungs was very serious. He peaked at 104.2 degrees. For you or I that's the equivalent of 106.2 degrees. It is highly possible that the thrashing and movement was caused by his body trying to fix itself. You saw his bed. It was soaked down to the plastic underneath in sweat. At least he stayed unconscious during the ordeal. And suffered no further injuries." Ana nodded and took a folder from her lap, setting in on the table.

"Very good. Well, we should continue with the meeting. Thank you for the information." Angela nodded, and just like that the business side of the meeting came forth.  
In Thomas's treatment room. Several hours later.

Thomas's eyes blinked open, the normally harsh light of the room turned down enough to not immediately blind him. Long shadows stretch across the room, small slits of light slipping in between the plastic shutters while gentle beeping noise rebounds off the wall, its rhythmic tone soothing. Nearby the winds howls and snow smacks against the window, accumulating on the outside windowsill in small piles that slips away to the ground, only to be snagged by the wind and whipped away again. a distant chatter rang, brief snips of conversation and unintelligible noises slipping bouncing off the door to the room. Thomas blinked and realized he couldn't see out of his left eye, his hand swung up to touch it only for him to gasp out in pain, his hand falling back onto the bed. An intense pain throbbed in his chest, pulsing with the beat of his heart.

After a minute Thomas tried again, going very slowly this time. The pain sprung up again, a more distant and dull feeling than before as his hand brushed against fabric. Fighting the urge to tear the bandage free and remove the obstruction Thomas let his hand slip back into position. Shifting around he felt more bandages on his cheat and another on his left leg. A chill began to creep into him so Thomas carefully tucked himself back into the blanket, sighing quietly once he was done. The breathing mask on his face slowly began to feel heavy and Thomas again reached up, adjusting it down so he could breathe in pure air, rather than the foul tasting gas emanating from the mask. A brief feeling of satisfaction filled Thomas. His lungs felt dry and his breathing was clear. Unfortunately the feeling was replaced with a heart burn esk burning sensation. Thomas began to cough, quietly at first but it steadily grew. The breathing mask slipped off his stomach, catching the sidebar of the bed with a quiet clank. Thomas did not notice this as he coughed into his elbow, the burning feeling spreading.

The door to the room slid open, and bright light filled the room as the lights turned up to full. The sudden change blinded Thomas as his hand stumbled around for the mask. The figure rushed forward, the lights dimming again and the door sliding shut. Suddenly the a soft hand lifted his head up and the mask was pressed back to his face. Thomas coughed into the mask, cool air rushing through his mouth and into Thomas's lungs. The burning feeling vanished and left behind an uncomfortable dry feeling. Thomas's tongue felt heavy in his mouth and the person holding his head, Angela, gently lowered it back onto the pillow.

"You're awake for two minutes and you're already hurting yourself. What am I going to do with you?" Angela stepped away from Thomas, who smiled at her.

"Treat me like a cat. Hug me, feed me, never leave me." Angela smiled at the joke and took her clipboard back in hand.

"At least your voice and sense of humor survived. And if you were a cat you'd be due for a lot of checkups." Thomas's smile fell slightly as Angela turned her back, writing something on her clipboard.

"Come on Angela. Aren't you the least bit happy I'm okay." Angela turned to down at Thomas, noticing he was frowning underneath the mask. Angela smiled sadly and ruffled his hair affectionately. Thomas's short and shaggy hair was cleaned up, smoothed out and cool to the touch. Thomas smiled and relaxed into the touch. Angela had noticed while building Thomas's medical and psychological profiles that while he is very jumpy and even hostile to surprise contact, be it bumping, flicking or tapping that gentle touches were welcome, if met with surprise. Both Amelie and Ana reported that Thomas greatly enjoyed gentle appropriate touch, especially hugging. Though in his current position hugging would be both difficult and unprofessional.

"Of course Thomas. Who else will tell me a joke and make me smile like you do. Now stop talking, I need to run a few tests and talking will aggravate your lungs." Thomas nodded while Angela checked the instruments. When he had nothing to do Thomas seemed to enjoy spending time with Angela, mainly learning what different machines did or how to administer different treatments. He was responsible and actually funny. Plus he listened to Angela if she wanted him to stop doing something, so she was happy to let him spend time in the medical bay. Plus Thomas and Fareeha were becoming fast friends and Fareeha usually brought Thomas along to meet people or get food. She treats Thomas like a little brother, much in the same way she treats Sombra like a little sister. "Okay, i will return shortly, try to stay awake." And with that Angela left.

'Stay awake, like that will be difficult.' Thomas thought. But it surprisingly was difficult. Laying near perfectly still to avoid the pain that moving brought Thomas's eyes began to flitter and despite all his time asleep, 'at least a few days' thought Thomas, he still felt exhausted. By the time that Angela returned, boasting a pink liquid in a glass cup and a second, red liquid in another glass cup Thomas's eyes were closed again. Angela gentle awoke him and he slipped back from unconsciousness.

"I'm awake. Just resting my eyes."

"Of course. Here, drink this." With a click of a button the bed rose up, positioning Thomas at a 45 degree angle. Once up he gratefully accepted the pink liquid, and after a single gulp of the pink fluid Thomas understood why Angela was hovering. The fluid was viscous and thick enough that Thomas's tongue was pressed down by it. On top of that it tasted like every bad medicine your parents force fed you as a child. Thomas's eyes bulged and he gagged, his hand shooting up to cover his mouth despite the pain such a movement caused. He shot a confused and accusatory look at Angela, who smiled apologetically.

"It's to heal any residual internal damage. You drank and inhaled a significant amount of irradiated liquid. Without this, you could suffer intense long term damage. And it gets better. I need you to drink all of it." With some difficulty Thomas swallowed the thick fluid and looked at the remainder. Over ninety five percent of the glass remained despite his gulp. Thomas looked at Angela with pleading eyes.

"It's either that or radiation poisoning. Or more likely intravenous administration." Thomas shuddered. He hated needles, the feel of them in his body, under his skin, pushing to escape and leeching his blood away from his. Thomas shivered and swallowed a small but of saliva that had accumulated. He drank the liquid, closing his eyes and not stopping until there was nothing left. It felt like hours later he finished and put the now empty and stained pink glass cup next to him on the bed, placing a fist to his mouth to fight the urge to vomit.

"I'm" Thomas coughed into the fist. "I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that that is neither the most disgusting, nor the most questionable thing I've eaten to stay alive." Angela collected the glass and shook her head.

"That is a story I do not want to hear." Thomas spotted the second glass and the urge to vomit doubled. Angela chuckled at the look. She had tasted the first solution before when she had been hit with falling debris during a mission, The solution was particularly... flavorful. The second solution was much more palatable though.

"Don't worry, this one tastes good. It contains nutrients to help your body fight the remains of the infection. Along with a few boosters. You said you liked cherry." Thomas looked at her and took the drink. This one sloshed in the cup and a small straw shuffled in the liquid. Angela turned again and walked to the door with the first cup in hand. Before she left she turned back to Thomas.

"Drink all of that as well. It's important." It was important. It contained a few drops of some... special solution that Angela sometimes administered. It would be the equivalent of administering laughing gas to a person, but totally inconspicuous among the other chemicals and ingredients of the beverage. Now, she needed to get Ana so Ana could administer an after field report. Ana would be ready and waiting for Angela's message, Angela just needed to give Thomas some time for the medicine to take.

The drink actually tasted like cherry. It was like a smoothie, both in texture and flavor. It also tasted extremely good, and Thomas was happy to have something to drink. He finished it quickly and laay back, feeling a slight buzz begin to take place. It took about twenty minutes before the full effects of the drink settled in. Thomas hadn't felt this buzzed in a long time. Angela had checked on him three times since he finished the drink, and now she returned again, with Ana in tow.

Ana looked at Thomas, happy to see him awake and coherent. The boys head was laying on his left shoulder, the bandages rubbing against the medical gown. He smiled stupidly at the two woman. The drugs had definitely taken full effect. Angela stepped forward to adjust his position and Thomas spoke while she moved forward.

"Heyyy Ana. Whatrr you doing here?" Angela adjusted his head, laying it back on the propped up bed and pillows. Ana took a seat to the right of the bed, looking at Thomas. The medical gown covered most of his injuries, but a few marks on his face stood out. Angela thought he would get another scar. It made Ana sad that Thomas was probably the youngest member of Blackwatch and was already littered in scars. His hair poked up in small strands through the patches and he shifted his hand towards Ana, trying to lift it. Ana took his hand in hers. Thomas's hand felt much cleaner than it had a couple of days ago. The dirt and foreign material had been cleaned away by nurses from his body, leaving the skin nearly sterile and slightly pinker than usually. Thomas's grin grew when Ana took his hand.

"Thanks Ana." His head lolled again, settling on his right shoulder now. Angela sighed and adjusted it upright again.

"Thomas I need you to keep your head up. It's important." Thomas giggled stupidly and looked at Angela.

"Not my fault. You drugged me." Angela blinked and Thomas giggled again. "Busted. The high tolllllddddd on you. I haven't felt like this since I left the C.O.A.F. zone." He giggled again. Ana spoke next.

"The C.O.A.F. zone. You know. Canadian...um Omnium... um and Fallout Zone. The big radioactive hole in the ground. You can't miss it. Big wall surrounds. Used to be a part of British Columbia and... a few other provinces. I think Alaska too. Pretty mountains. Scary monsters. One gave me this." Thomas lifted his arm, oblivious to the pain the movement would cause and pointed at his ear. Ana looked closely at the spot Thomas was pointing at, as did Angela. A small jagged scar ran under the hairs that dotted his cheek under his ear.

"That was from a Casda."

"A Casda?" Ana asked confused. Thomas looked back at Ana and giggled again.

"Ana." He rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. "You're really smart, how do you not know what a Casda is? You know. The big ass bug that lays eggs in corpses. Sometimes sleeping people. Sometimes, they try to lay eggs in me, they gave me this" He pointed at the scar again. "I ripped its wings off! HAHAHAHAH. Did you ever watch Starship troopers?" Thomas became very serious, looking directly at Ana. "Its fucking terrifying. The casda, it looks like thhat, but smaller, and it flies. And it still, eats, people. It's actually a form of torture and execution. Raiders and people from Macktum city use them to lay eggs in capital offenders and unfortunate passers by. They are disgusting." Ana snapped Thomas out of the beginning of a rant.

"Thomas, you're from the Canadian Fallout zone?" Thomas nodded.

"Mmhmm. Born and grown. Raised. Not grown. I'm not a vegetable, well.... depends who you ask." As much as Ana wanted to listen to Thomas's ramblings, they were ramblings. It was totally possible that none of this was true. Plus, Ana came with a job to due. She took a small tablet and activated the recording software on it. It would record only sounds, and would copy all speech into text that no one could alter. At least not legally.

Twenty minutes later.

"Okay, that's all." Thomas's report would be useless. Between slurring his words and most of it his time during the mission was spent while unconscious or under extreme physical pain and duress the report was barely useful. The bit he was coherent of contained shooting at cyborgs and being blasted into a river, nearly drowning and then being revived in the transport. This gave Overwatch some information they could reference with the remaining soldiers reports and meant outside interferes would be hard pressed to pull useful information from Overwatch reports and files. Ana went to get up from the chair but Thomas tightened the grip he had on her hand.

"Wait, I need to talk to you in private." He shifted his head at Angela, who nodded and collected the tablet. She knew where to take it, she had done this same process on her own before, Ana had requested to do it with Thomas this time though. Before Angela could leave Thomas called out "Thank you." To Angela, who smiled and chuckled. Thomas was very polite to her, and to Ana.

"Ana, I... befoe I forget... or lose my courage or get my inhibitions back... I just wanted to say thank you. For holding my hand. I was so scared. I thought I was done. I... I kept thinking 'things are finally good for me, and I'm dead already.' I couldn't feel anything but you holding my hand. I clung to it, I felt like I was going to fall. I almost did, it was so dark... and cold. I wanted to let go but you held me, and talked to me. No one I knew from my family would do that. Not my parents, or siblings. You held on to me, and it saved me. And i wanted to say thank you for caring about me." Thomas leaned his head and upper body limply on Ana's shoulder. She remained silent while he breathed, holding his hand and rubbing his palm reassuringly.

"I don't know why." His voice cracked. Ana watched a lonely bead of water drip onto her blue uniform and slide down. "I don't know why you care so much about me. My own parents didn't care so much. And there are so many more people that deserve this than me. People who are better, or needier. I don't know if I'll ever know." More tears began to run, and Ana carefully adjusted Thomas so she could put her arm around his shoulders, holding him upright while he cried.

"But you still do. And I can never thank you enough for that. I-I just... thank you." Ana held Thomas while he cried, resting her head on his bandaged head and whispering into his ear. He would occasionally sputter out something unintelligible. After several minutes Thomas stopped, and spoke very quietly.

"I was so scared if I told you, that you wouldn't care. That you never cared, you were just being polite. I hope I remember this. I hope you remember this. I hope this isn't a dream. I want this to be real." Ana continued to hold Thomas in silence, her cheek resting against his head. It was cool to the touch. After Thomas didn't speak for several minutes, Ana spoke. Her voice was low, quiet and gentle, barely audible to even her.

"It's okay Thomas. It's okay." The boy continued to cry quietly. There was no sobbing, no loud intake of air, just the quiet sound of breathing as Ana held Thomas. He felt incredibly light, almost no weight pressing on Ana. Small drops of liquid ran down Thomas's cheeks, occasionally dripping onto Ana's uniform. Ana held him, the same way she had before for Fareeha and Lena and Olivia. After some time the quiet sounds drifted, the flow of tears stopped and Ana realized the Thomas had fallen asleep, right there in her arms.

She did not move after the revelation, merely held him tightly, preventing Thomas from slumping or slipping off the bed onto the ground. Ana thought to when she had held Lena, helping the girl mourn the loss of her father. Lena had never had a mother, hers had died during childbirth. Ana knew she cared about Thomas, since she first met him. He acted so much like Olivia she had figured the two knew each other. There was no revelation, just a want to love the boy, to hold him like this and let him feel loved. It hurt how confused Thomas was over it. How unfamiliar simple kindnesses were to him. How surprised he was to see someone care about him, and expect nothing in return. It hurt that he jumped whenever Ana hugged him. That simple acts of kindness were nearly totally foreign to him.

After some time Angela stepped back into the room, peeking in before allowing the door to fully open. She did not knock, out of fear of waking what would almost certainly be a sleeping Thomas. She did not expect to see him asleep on Ana's shoulder, with her arm wrapped around him and Thomas's right hand still held by Ana's. Angela smiled at Ana, who brought her finger up to her lips, a quiet shushing sound emanating.  
"He needs the sleep. Do you want help moving him?"

"Yes thank you." With some help from Angela Ana shifted Thomas onto the bed, which lowered itself to become flat. Thomas sighed quietly and Angela carefully unwrapped the wet bandage from around his face and head. His hair poofed up once the bandage stopped pressing down on it, and this hair was a rats nest of tangles. The cut on his temple was ugly, a jagged mark crisscrossed by expertly placed stitches. A small dot of blood marked the outside of the wound, but it was wiped away by a gentle swipe of a sterilized rag. The area around the eye harbored an angry bruise the wrapped around the left eye socket and part of his nose. Angela skillfully replaced the bandages, carefully covering the wounds and bruises. When she finished Angela collected her items again.

"I'll give you a minute."

"I'll only be a minute." Angela nodded and left the room, turning the lights down as she left. Ana stepped next to Thomas's sleeping form, and bent over, gently kissing him on the cheek.

"I love you Thomas. " Ana rose up and left the room, turning the lights down a little more before leaving.

Eight hours later.

Thomas awoke again, this time more suddenly. He blinked several times, but remembered to not move his arm to soon or he would be reminded why he didn't. The breathing mask was off, it's unfamiliar weight gone from Thomas's face. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the feeling.

"Morning Darlin. Sleep well?" Thomas blinked and focused in on Jesse's face, though his chin was now naked. It was a strong chin that revealed his jawline, which was hidden by his remaining facial hair on his cheeks and upper lip. An already healing cut with four stitches was revealed on his chin. It ran for maybe three inches, with the previous remains already healed over. Thomas giggled, not totally over the medicine still in his system.

"You were in a coma, for that? Man mine is way worse." Jesse chuckled and leaned in, delivering a gentle kiss to Thomas before retreating.

"Well, I was in a medical coma because of a lot of things, mainly so I wouldn't fidget with everything. How 'bout you though? Heard you got pretty banged up on mission." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"A little. I don't think I'm allowed to talk about it though. Sorry." Jesse shook his head and took Thomas's left hand is his own.

"Don't worry." Jesse pulled up a seat and sat down next to Thomas. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than earlier. How long have I been asleep?"

"About three days. Angela wanted to make sure you're system was flushed. How did you get irradiated?" Thomas rolled his eyes and shifted in the bed. His limbs felt heavy and unresponsive. A hand moved in front of his face and snapped its fingers. Thomas looked back at Jesse.

"Hey? You all in there Darlin?"

"Yeah, sorry. Everything feels... numb." Jesse squeezed Thomas's hand.

"Don't worry about that. Oh, I think that Angela and Ana know about us. Angela told me she and Fareeha had to keep chasing you off from my room." Thomas smirked and nodded.

"Yeah. So that lasted a whole two days." Jesse made an exacerbated sighing sound.

"Well, she hasn't said anything, but it's pretty obvious. Ana was... much more forthcoming."

"How so?" Jesse reached into his shirt pocket and withdrew his wallet. On its face held a smiling picture of Jesse, one that looked only a couple of years younger. From the confines of his wallet he removed a small strand of circular plastic containers, a total of six once they finished unfurling. Thomas did not recognize what they were, though he remembered seeing them in shops and markets when he was younger.

"What are those?" Thomas asked. Jesse shook his head while laughing and rolled the items back up, putting them in his wallet.

"They're condoms Thomas."

"Oh." Thomas's eyes widened as he remembered what condoms were for. "OOOhhhh" Jesse nodded.

"Mmhmm. Forthcoming. It also came with a note, 'Have fun, Be safe.'" Thomas laughed before a thought struck him.

"Wait, why do we need condoms? I mean, we haven't yet, but even if we did you can't get me pregnant, and neither of us have anything." Jesse chuckled again.

"I'll tell you why when you're older Thomas." Thomas rolled his eyes before closing them and letting his head fall backwards onto the soft pillow. It was incredibly soft, warm and inviting Thomas to slumber.

"If it would hurt you more then me I would kick you." Jesse chuckled and leaned forward, planting another kiss on Thomas's neck. Thomas sighed. It was quick, but it felt amazing.

"You keep that up and we're going to be having that talk sooner than you thought." Jesse matched the comment.

"Whenever you're ready darlin." Jesse said, his voice dropping low and quiet. Thomas opened his eyes. Truthfully, sex wasn't something either party had thought of when entering the relationship, it was just a sort of unspoken rule that whenever one side initiated, the other would decided yes or no and go from there. But neither topic nor opportunity had presented itself. Until now. Thomas had never had sex before, and now that he thought about it it had been a long time since he even brought himself to orgasm. Before Talon. Jesse snapped his fingers again.

"Hey, did I scare you?" Thomas shook his frantically no. Jesse placed his hand on Thomas's forehead.

"I'm gonna get Angela, she only let me stay on the promise I would get her as soon as you woke up." Thomas grinned.

"Ooo, I'm gonna tell on you, and that's how I'll get you back." Jesse shook his head, but as he reached the door he turned his head.

"Don't you dare." He said, his tone still playful as he disappeared into the outside world. The door slid shut behind him and Thomas closed his eyes, taking in the ability to breathe unhindered and unaided. It was satisfying, if underappreciated. At some point Thomas must have fallen asleep again, because he awoke suddenly to Angela scolding Jesse.

"I said come get me if he is awake, as soon as he awakes."

"I swear doc, he was awake, he seemed a little tired." Angela interrupted him.

"Ahhah! So you didn't come to me immediately after he woke up!" Thomas considered letting Jesse suffer, but decided against it.

"I'm awake. I was awake." Angela looked at me, and the frustration melted away.

"Good."

"See, I told you he was awake." Angela gave Jesse a look that spoke volumes, or at least enough for Jesse to shut up.

"Good, now, can you move your body Thomas? Wiggle your toes at all? That sort of thing." Thomas chuckled, but obliged, lifting his legs and arms up one at a time. Then he tried to wiggle his fingers and toes, to some success. His left foot was... uncooperative.

"That's nothing to be concerned over. However there is something that concerns me. Jesse, if you would." Angela gestured at the doorway. Jesse blinked but got up without fuss and left, closing the door behind him. Angela walked over to a small table and pulled up a small rotating chair. Thomas could feel something was wrong. As Angela leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bed.

"What's the matter doc? You didn't lose a scalpel in me did you?"Angela chuckled lightly.

"No, I've never done anything like. Some of the other doctors though... well there's a reason that Overwatch only takes the best. But, I need you to be serious for this. And answer honestly. Okay?" Thomas smirked.

"Dang Angela, you're scaring me. What, did I soak up to much radiation? Got a third arm growing out of me?" Angela did not smile, nor did she chuckle. She maintained a serious look.

"This is serious." She said. Thomas felt his smile fall.

"Okay." Angela nodded.

"After Surgery, I cleaned you up. There was blood and dirt, and we needed to make sure there would be no material to infect your wounds even worse. While cleaning, I saw the scars on your back." Thomas's remnants of a smile faded.

"Oh."

"The only people who know are myself, Ana and Malyssa. None of us are going to talk about it, Malyssa knows about it, but she won't talk about it. Doctor patient confidentiality. And Thomas, frankly, I'm worried." Thomas blinked, surprised. He said nothing.

"I need you to answer this honestly. Those scars on your back, are they from... your family?" Thomas did not answer at first. He didn't want to. Thomas hated talking, or letting other people see the marks. He had been forced to show Jack, and had been mostly avoiding talking to the man. Jack had been kind enough to not mention as the pair returned to base, but Thomas didn't know how long that would last. Now more people knew. At the same time though, Angela was the first person to notice the marks as a doctor and to be concerned for Thomas. He didn't want to put her off or be rude to her. After some time, he decided to respond.

"Yes." Angela nodded.

"Are the eight marks-"

"Six. Two are from... a mountain climbing accident." Angela looked unconvinced.

"Are you sure?" There was no missing the edge in her voice. It was simple, 'don't you dare lie to me' is what it said.

"Okay, maybe it was more so... getting pushed from a mountain... into a tree. But they were not from my parents." Angela nodded, apparently satisfied by the answer.

"The marks, are they from a single... intense incident, or did it take several... attempts to mark them so deeply." Thomas sighed deeply.

"Angela, do we have to talk about this?" Angela looked at Thomas, and her gaze softened.

"Thomas, I'm worried about you. Frankly, I've had concerns, as have Jack, Ana, Gabriel and Reinhardt, about you. About how confrontational you can be. How protective and aggressive you can be with people."

"I am not aggressive Angela." Angela's look softened more.

"Thomas, you broke Rodriguez's finger because he insulted Lena." Thomas's confident look wavered and broke. He looked away from her.

"I understand that you don'-" Thomas looked back at Angela, his gaze hardened.

"No, you don't. You don't understand. I'm not aggressive because of my past, I'm aggressive because if you aren't willing to fight and claw and punch for what you care about, you lose it. And I'm done talking about this." Thomas leaned back into the bed, crossing his arm and looking away. It didn't take long for her to rise from the seat. Thomas didn't see it, but Angela saw through the bravado. She saw the hurt that broiled not as deep below the surface as Thomas thought. She wanted to press, to apologize, but it was better to let Thomas stew over this. So she left without a word, and as she left she felt his eyes follow her, and as she turned, she thought she could see a sort of remorse already growing beneath the green globes. Angela nodded at Jesse, watching with fresh enthusiasm as Jesse jumped up from his seat and entered the room, closing the door behind him. Now, Angela needed to talk to some people.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter. Hope you like it. I would like to point out that no one edits this but myself and the computer, so be forgiving if you find any grammatical errors. Hope you enjoy it.

"You didn't tell me you were popular." Jesse said in between mouthfuls of food. Today in the cafeteria they served Rice and other foods from Asia. How they managed to keep such a variety of fresh food delivered every day was a secret Thomas had no interest in discovering.

"What do you mean?" Thomas didn't necessarily like rice, but Jesse had brought up some condiments. They were more so for himself, but Thomas asked for Teriyaki sauce if they had it. Plus, and somewhat more importantly, it was food. Solid food. Sorta.

"I mean that while you were out about a dozen people visited you, just asking how you were. And when I went to the cafeteria and grabbed two plates of food people were asking if you were awake. Seems like you made some friends." Thomas chuckled quietly. It was nice to have friends.

"So, like, who visited or asked about me?" Jesse smiled.

"Uh, Fareeha checked several times, as did Lena and Olivia. Amelie checked several times. Lucio asked about you, same as Jason and Reinhardt. Plus a few others."

"Cool." When in doubt, less is more, Thomas decided. He hid his lack of words behind food. Then a thought dawned on him.

"Damn, Zarya is going to kill me. She's been training me, weight training and 'making me less pencil like.' When I get out of here she's going to put me back in." Jesse chuckled, but before he could speak the door reverberated, a series of quick, official knocks filling the room.

"Come in." Thomas said, glancing at Jesse and silently asking' who could that be.' It wouldn't be anyone friendly, or unprofessional. The door opened and revealed Jack's large form. He nearly filled the doorway. And he definitely filled both criteria. Neither of the pair had spoken since Portugal, Thomas had even been specifically avoiding the man.

"Hey kids. I can come back if you want to finish eating." It was an honest proposal, though a rare one.

"No, it's fine." The food was mostly gone, and Thomas knew the cafeteria almost always had food on hand. And Thomas knew Jesse was kind enough to get more after Jack had gone. Jack looked at Jesse and Jesse knew what he wanted.

"Okay, I'll go." Jesse took Thomas's bowl and left the room. Thomas appreciated that even though Jack almost certainly knew about the two of them that he didn't make it more obvious. Jack stepped aside, and Thomas noticed that when Jesse passed Jack, Jesse was dwarfed by the older man. Jesse was much larger than Thomas, being taller and more muscular, and Thomas knew he was smaller than Jack. The man completely enveloped Thomas in Portugal, but it suddenly sank in just how large Jack was. And Gabriel was even larger than jack. When Jack turned to look back at me and closed the door, Thomas suddenly realized that somehow he had fucked up. Bad. Jack moved in and sat down in Jesse's vacated seat, staring directly at Thomas as he moved. He said nothing.

Thomas squirmed a little. He was taken aback, caught off guard, whatever you wanted to call it. And for once, the bravado and sarcasm was gone. And Jack could see. Truthfully, Jack wanted to scare the crap out of Thomas. He needed to be pliable for this, and Thomas was stubborn, sarcastic and frankly rude if he wanted to. Jack knew if he could scare all that out of the boy, then they could skip to the meat of the issue. After letting Thomas stew in his thoughts for two minutes, staying so quiet the only sounds were the breathing and the occasional groan of the bed as Thomas shifted in place, Jack spoke. The room was so quiet that even when he lowered his voice, it still dripped with authority.

"I'm going to ask you once. And if you lie to me I will show you just how lenient I have been. With the sass, the sarcasm, telling me what you will and won't do. I've let you get away with it for the two months you've been here. If you lie, it ends here. Not just my leniency, my trust, and dare I say any respect I may or may not have garnered for you over these months." Thomas said nothing, taken aback as he is. Besides Jack admitting that he respected Thomas was a fear over what he did to fuck up enough that Jack was putting everything on the line. After letting the words mull over for a moment Jack continued speaking.

"Why did you refuse to talk to Angela?" At first several questions popped into mind, but the answer appeared just after that. The scars. Jack watched the realization click, and also watched the defense be raised. This would be harder than he hoped.

"Jack, there is no way I can answer this and please you with the answer."

"Then tell the truth." Several options became apparent, and Thomas decided to be honest.

"Because it's not any of your business. Or hers, or anyone's for that matter. I've dealt with it for years, I'm fine. I frankly do not understand why none of you can just drop this." Brutal honesty. Jack could do that.

"Oh yeah, your perfectly okay. An eighteen year old child who had illegal drugs in his system when we found him, smokes cigarettes and drinks alcohol with reckless abandon. Who I have caught twice with alcohol, despite explicit orders from both myself and Gabriel and Ana not to. A totally fine individual, one who recently admitted to having tried at least some sort of drug for non medicinal purposes. An eighteen year old who fights with his superiors and has gotten in fist fights with superiors."

"Hey you started that!" Jack shook his head.

"I meant Gabriel."

"He started that one too." Jack shook his head.

"Real mature. Do no wrong right?"

"Hey! I never said I could do no wrong. I do a lot of wrong. I do it because of reasons other than my past experiences." Jack looked unconvinced.

"Right. You know kid, did it ever occur to you that maybe people are worried about you. That maybe we want to help you?"

"I don't need your help! Maybe, not talking about this is better for me? And what makes you such an expert to talk to me about this? You have no idea what it's like!" Jack matched the glare Thomas gave him, resuming his authoritative stance.

"Thomas, I have seen things you can't imagine. If anyone here is capable of understanding how you feel its the people who are trying to help you. Damnit we care about you! And we need you to seem like you care about yourself before we can help you! You act so amazed and grateful that people here trust you, trust us. Show us that our trust has been reciprocated. Now I am going to ask the rest of these questions, you will answer, or I will drop you in the nearest boot camp and never talk to you again." Normally, Thomas would have laughed at the threat. He'd been through hell, Talon boot camps. They hadn't broken him, no way an Overwatch boot camp would. But the thought of Jack never talking to Thomas again was... worse than such a threat would normally be. A thought occurred to Thomas.

'I'm fucked.'

"Understood?" Thomas nodded reluctantly. Jack leveled a single eye at him.

"Yes?"

"Yes... sir." Jack nodded, and internally he was pleased. Two months ago Thomas would have chosen the boot camp over saying sir.

"Good. Now we know your parents administered punishment, what did they use?"

"My mother used a bamboo walking stick. My father had a, small whip." Jack displayed no emotion, producing the tablet Angela had used earlier and typing. Inside though, he winced. A whip would leave horrible scar, and a bamboo walking stick would be incredible painful. A single lash from either brought most grown men to tears. But enough to scar that horribly, that at least a year of healing still left such deep and nasty scars. Internally Jack cursed Thomas's parents.

"Okay. What would they punish you for." Thomas continued to refuse to make eye contact.

"Anything they felt I did. Being to talkative. Being to quiet. If they thought I was doing something wrong, they punished me." After a moment he added. "Not usually so.... severely." Jack nodded. The two continued like this, Jack asking questions and Thomas giving mostly satisfactory answers before, after a half hour, Jack rose from his seat.

"Say you're sorry to Angela, and if she has more questions I expect you to answer them fully." Jack turned to the door without another word. Jack closed the door behind him, and looked at Jesse, who had since disposed of both bowls of long cold and mostly eaten food. Jesse got up but Jack placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him before he could open he door.

"Give him a kiss. Comfort him. He'll need it." Jesse looked confused, and it occurred that Thomas had almost certainly not told him. The look fell quickly and Jesse nodded, going into the room. Thomas smiled at Jesse, but Jesse saw a new sadness that hadn't been there before. He sat down next to Thomas and let Thomas lean his head on Jesse's shoulder. Jesse took Thomas's hand in his squeezing it tightly.

"You want to talk about anything?" Thomas mumbled a quiet no into Jesse's shoulder.

"You want me to get some more food?" Thomas repeated his answer. Truthfully he felt sick. Not like he would vomit, but he felt drained. Thomas just wanted to sleep, but he also did not want to be alone. And it would be inappropriate to ask Jesse to climb onto the small bed with him.

It would take another two days before Angela would clear Thomas from the med bay. He still had to check with Angela daily to see if any of his injuries were exacerbated by movement or activity. Thomas was also forbidden from any strenuous activities. Walking was still painful, but not overly so. Sitting and standing was the hardest and Angela insisted he keep the bandages around his torso in place. t still felt good to move around again. Thomas's legs ached from inactivity and nearly every time he sat down something popped or cracked, causing Thomas to wince in pain. Because he could not really do anything of value and did not feel like being social, Thomas migrated to the roof of the A. Building. It was the tallest and sported the best view of the nearby mountains and forests.

Thomas often took his sketch book and a pencil and/or a pen up with him, drawing either the scenery or whatever else he felt like. Now, it had been three more days since he had been cleared from the Med Bay, and no one had found him. Anyone that cared hadn't noticed him, and anyone who noticed didn't care. Until now.

Thomas sat on the edge of the building, bare feet dangling over the edge. If he fell or was pushed it was a thirty foot drop. Probably lethal for him, but it still felt better than sitting with his legs crossed on the snow covered roof. He had his book in front of him, drawing one of the mountains he hadn't drawn before, shading in the side facing away from the sun. His phone sat next to him, Centuries by Fallout Boy playing. Thomas loved music from the early Two thousands, even though many considered it rude and offensive. The few people who knew about his musical tastes joked that he was born in the wrong time. Only one ear bud was plugged in, Thomas did not want someone to sneak up and push him to a painful fall... and possibly death, so he heard the door swing open.

Looking over his shoulder he sees the large form of Gabriel stepping out into the cold. Thomas had to suppress a giggle. The man had a sweater and friggin Beanie on. His beard was well trimmed and he walked like he hadn't been shot twice less than a weak ago. He had no change in stature or appearance, like no injury could pierce him. It was almost certainly a facade, but it was still impressive. He smiled when he saw Thomas and shut the door behind him. In one hand he held a bag of something, but Thomas couldn't tell what it was. He said nothing, just sat down next to Thomas and extended his arm, offering what Thomas discovered was a bag of chocolate covered almonds. Frankly, Thomas hated almonds, but he felt like there was some greater significance to the offer. So he took one, popping it in his mouth and chewing quietly. Gabriel smirked, and Thomas suddenly felt that he should have just said no. Gabriel turned to look towards the mountain, popping more into his mouth and chewing loudly. Centuries finished playing and Monster by Skillet came on. After watching Gabriel for several seconds Thomas returned to drawing the mountain, listening to the song and distracting himself. Within moments he was reabsorbed into his work, and didn't notice Gabriel moving his head to watch Thomas draw.

Gabriel watched Thomas draw long enough that two more songs came and went, now playing Pompeii by Bastille before Gabriel spoke.

"I can hear the music." It wasn't a complaint, he could only hear it do to his hypersensitive hearing, but Thomas took it as a complaint.

"No ones forcing you to stay." The message was there, if you don't like it, go away.' Gabriel continued to smirk.

"I know. Mainly, I came up here to talk to you." Great... that would be fun. Thomas thought to himself.

"About?"

"I wanted to thank you for going to the funerals. Especially Tim's. He would have liked you." Thomas sighed quietly.

"You're not the first one to say that."

"Well I mean it. It takes a lot to go to a teammates funeral. Even if you aren't familiar with them."

"Seemed like the least I could do." Thomas muttered, more so to himself than to Gabriel.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I couldn't control the fates of Tyler or Alice. But after I went to Tim's funeral, after I saw his wife and little kids. I saw how sad they were, I keep thinking about how I should have done things differently. I shouldn't have waited for you to say go, I wanted to wait for you to say it. To show I could be patient and mature. That I wasn't a liability. And because I waited, Tim was delayed in his deployment and got killed. There wasn't even enough to put in the casket." Thomas's voice was filled with sadness and remorse, and Gabriel heard it.

"I didn't even know his last name until I went to the Funeral. And it's... strange. I rarely felt like this in Talon. But here, everyone treats the dead with, like a reverence. Frankly, I didn't know him, I did what I thought was right, I shouldn't feel guilty." Thomas chewed on his lower lip. Might as well tell someone who's opinion you don't care about. Gabriel didn't say anything at first, waiting to see if Thomas would say anything else, reveal anything else. When it appeared he was done, Gabriel spoke.

"Before the mission Mac mentioned another team." Gabriel left it at that. He wanted to lay some bait, see if Thomas would come sniffing.

"Yeah. What about them?" Gabriel decided he would have to be more hands on, but he knew he had Thomas hooked.

"Do you think it's connected. That you couldn't help them, and you couldn't help Tim?"

"I didn't say the full story about them. I didn't want to in front of everyone." Thomas reached into his Jacket pocket, fishing around inside for something before pulling out a physical picture. It looked tattered, the edges slightly torn, but was in good appearance.

"This is them." The picture boasted seven people, only three of which Gabriel recognized. He saw on the left stood Olivia and Amelie. Olivia boasted duel SMGs, and Gabriel noticed that her hand was real, not a prosthetic. Amelie hairs was much shorter as well. Looking briefly Gabriel found Thomas. He was tiny. He looked easily six inches shorter than he was today. His hair was much shorter as well, cut back into a buzz cut. Gabriel glanced from the picture to the boy next to him. Thomas, besides being shorter, looked nearly anorexic. The clothes he had hung from his body in large clumps and he had barely any muscle. His cheeks were sunken and an eye patch covered his right eye, the edge of a cut appearing above the patch. Gabriel glanced at the form of Thomas in front of him, and of him less than a year ago.

Despite his horrible looking situation he grinned with child like enthusiasm. The four people Gabriel did not know personally were a large woman of about fifty with short buzzed hair. She was nearly seven feet tall, and her hand rested on Thomas shoulder. The next person was a man who was somehow shorter than Thomas and bore a striking semblance to a ferret with wide wire framed glasses. Next was a totally albino man who frowned intensely at the picture. Finally, was a man Gabriel did recognize. He was black, and wore a immaculate tuxedo. He was taller than Amelie, and grinned a shit eating grin at the camera. The man was wanted in almost every U.N. member country for theft, both grand and petty and murder, among other things.

"I always keep a copy of it with me. Keeps me close to them. I have a dozen copies of the photo with me. I realize its probably kinds unhealthy, but... I feel like I owe it to them to remember them."

"What happened."

"Like I said, I made a mistake. I set the charges to blow to soon, and rubble damn near crushed my leg. I passed out, and woke up hours later in a Talon infirmary. Everyone except Amelie and Sombra was gone. Mole, that's what he went by." Thomas pointed at the ferret man. "Was found just outside the rubble, he was trying to get me out. Mute, the albino guy, never got his real name, was found a block away with a half dozen omnics around him and three times as many holes in him. They never even found Rupert or Marie." Thomas placed the picture back into his inner jacket pocket.

"When they died, I didn't really know what to do. Half the people I cared about were dead. That was the last time I felt like this. I always knew Oli was still alive when she left. And I figured that Amelie had escaped. But the feeling, that it's my fault. I realize it's ridiculous." The music had died down, Thomas had turned it off when he started talking. Thomas fell silent. He felt like he was trying to get attention, and wondered silently what Gabe thought of this. 'Now I'm calling him Gabe.' Thomas thought.

Gabe at first felt the boy was trying to get attention. He'd seen it before. Power hungry soldiers and officials using tragedy to get close. But Thomas wasn't on the verge of crying, he wasn't going to break down. But Gabe heard the sadness in Thomas's voice. He recognized it. In Ana, when she spoke of her husband or son. In Jack, when he spoke of any of the people he'd lost.

"It's not ridiculous kid. It's human." Thomas chuckled.

"Thanks. Being human sucks." Now Gabriel chuckled.

"That it does." Thomas looked and Gabriel and reached into his pocket.

"You can't tell anyone." Thomas pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Because I know you smoke, and we both need it."

"And why can't I tell anyone?" Asked Gabriel while accepting a hastily lit cigarette.

"Because like everyone I know is badgering me to quit, Even Jesse! And the guy smokes like three cigars a day." Gabriel smirked. The cigarette hadn't been lit more than ten seconds when Thomas's phone started to buzz. He picked it up and checked caller I.D. He smiled and answered.

"Hey Ana." Then, even though the phone was almost certainly not on speaker, an extremely pissed sounding Ana.

"THOMAS LEE BYRON! What did I tell you about smoking young man!" Gabriel laughed. Thomas glanced at his left hand, which held the cigarette.

"Lee?" Asked Gabriel. Thomas shook his head.

"I never should have told you my middle name." Ana, who was using video screen heard Gabriel's voice when he spoke.

"Gabriel Antonio Maria Reyes! You are smoking with Thomas after I explicitly told him not to!" Now it was Thomas's turn to laugh.

"If you don't throw that out this instant I will march up there and ground you for a month." Thomas looked at the phone.

"How are you going to ground me?" Ana opened her mouth and closed it, glaring daggers into Thomas. He paled a little.

"Do you want to find out? You're not to old for a spanking young man." Thomas laughed but Ana was totally serious, and she made sure he knew it. Thomas gulped a little and shook his head in defeat.

"Fine, okay. Here." He buried to lit end in the snow, quickly snuffing it out. Ana smiled.

"Don't let me catch you again." And she hung up. Thomas shook his head again.

"How did she know that I was smoking, but that you weren't here?" Gabriel shrugged and continued to enjoy his cigarette. Thomas hadn't even noticed the little sleight of hand. Gabriel had texted Ana, 'top of A. building.' She had played her part well. Another thing Thomas didn't know, was that Jesse's Cigars actually contained almost no nicotine or tar or addictive substances. He said once he liked the way they tasted, or something along the lines of that. Personally, Gabriel just thinks he can't go a day without something vaguely phallic shaped in his mouth. Plus, Gabriel really should quit smoking, and if he was going down he was just petty enough to bring Thomas with him.

"I see you and Ana have become quite close." Gabriel wasn't surprised. Ana had already brought Olivia with her a few months ago to meet some of Ana's family. Olivia had fit in well as the third sister, the other two being Fareeha and Lena. Gabriel was not at all surprised that Ana liked Thomas enough to bring him into the fold.

"Yeah. It's nice. She's nice to me I mean. I'm gonna have to find a new spot now, or else I'll never be able to do anything here without getting caught." Gabriel shook his head.

"You know that's the point. Right?" Thomas turned from the spot, rising up and wincing quietly as he did. Thomas hid it well but Gabriel still spotted the brief twitch as pain sprung up.

"Ribs still hurting?"

"Well, they are bruised. I'm gonna get a drink. I'll be back." Gabriel looked incredulously at Thomas.

"It's ten in the morning. Jeez kid." Thomas turned back.

"I'm getting water!" And with that he disappeared through the door. Thomas left behind his sketch book as a symbol he would be back, at least to retrieve it. Gabriel had no doubts that the water run was also a convenient out to smoke a cigarette in private, but he wasn't quite petty enough to follow Thomas. That level of petty only occurred in the later hours of the day. However, while Thomas was away Gabriel did notice the sketch book. It was clearly well used, with over half the pages being crinkled or ruffled in some way. Gabriel took the book in hand, flipping it open to the latest drawing. It was the mountain and the outlying forest. Going to the next one, Gabriel chuckled quietly. It was the same scene, but instead of being a normal landscape, it had a large dragon wrapped around the mountain, its tail settling near the edge of the paper, and clouds of smoke wafting from its nose. It was very well done, with excellent shading and attention to detail.

"Kid could've been an artist." Gabriel muttered to no one in particular. Flipping through the pages he discovered portraits of people, designs for weapons so detailed they could be schematics, more portraits of people, more landscapes and several other mythical creatures. Flipping through it more Gabriel discovered one of Jesse. It was good, and judging from the amount of redoes and other pages with faces crossed out Thomas had put some special effort into it. It was cute. Flipping past it and the other original tries Gabriel discovered one of Jack. It showed a very similar level of effort, and Jack was smiling with the boy scout smile he loved so much.

'Smug bastard.' Gabriel thought. Other thoughts occurred as well, mainly one that Jack's affection towards Thomas wasn't totally unreciprocated. Taking out his phone Gabriel snapped a quick photo for later. It would be too risky to just take it with him. Flipping through more pages, Gabriel's smiled widened, the only other one to show such a level of work, with multiple redoes, was one of him. Gabriel took another picture and returned the book to its original position.

'I wonder the fact he's such a smartass to us is a symbol of anything.' Gabriel thought. This didn't mean Thomas had a crush on the two, but was a good indication that he liked them more than he let on. This would be fun to tell Jack Gabriel decided.

Two days later.

"So, what is everyone wearing to the Halloween 'party'?" Asked Hana, glancing up from her hand of cards. Arrayed around the table was Hana, Fareeha, Lena, Thomas, Jesse, Olivia and Lucio. The six were playing a form of low stakes poker, with labor and chore bets, along with small amounts of money being transferred around each hand. Currently Lena owed about three Bathroom cleanings to Fareeha and Jesse total. Lucio lost about fifty dollars and a copy of his latest album to Olivia and Jesse had won three bottles of whiskey from Fareeha. Hana wanted to distract the others so they played worse.

"Nothing special. You can show up with just a fancy suit. I'll probably just do that." Said Fareeha. She didn't like costumes, despite her battle suit basically being one.

"Why do we have to go again? Some of us are criminals, and others are special forces. Aren't we supposed to be hidden. Felt, not scene. That sort of thing." Asked Olivia.

"The big wigs on the council, commander Gorgos and them, plus some of the U.N. members use these as big donation events. People like Lucio and Hana have pretty big followings-"

"Twenty million hits on the latest video." Said Hana, smugness dripping from her voice.

"Right." Fareeha continued. "So they bring in lots of followers who are desperate to meet there heroes. Then there's Lena. She's London's girl. And then there's me, the poster child for the Pharaoh Project. Finally, People like Thomas and you get paraded to show Overwatch works as a rehabilitation movements. Gets lots of funding for it."

"Why would they want to parade possibly dangerous criminals, plus aren't we also supposed to be in witness protection or something?" Fareeha shrugged, folding out from the hand.

"Technically. You won't be put on stage or even pointed out. It's more so just to say that you are there, even if people don't know you are. Besides, free liquor and the others won't yell at you." Jesse smirked.

"That's my favorite part." He folded as well. He wasn't going to get stuck with bathroom duty. And he damn sure wasn't going to lose his whiskey.

"Okay. Now only three people were in the game, everyone else having folded away. Lena, Thomas and Hana. Lena wanted to lose her chores, and Hana wanted whatever she could. Thomas just wanted to take something away from this other than pleasant, if somewhat fuzzy memories.

"Okay, If I win each of you have to take one of my chores."

"Done." Said both of them. Lena spoke next. She was confident she would win.

"And if either of us win, then you have clean each of our bathrooms twice." Lena's mouth fell, but she regained her confidence quickly.

"Done." She put her cards down. Lena smirked smugly. Hana laughed and put her cards down, barely beating Lena. Her head fell forward in dismay as Hana and Thomas high fived each other.

"Sorry Lena. Think of it this way, at least you can clean quickly." Lena glared daggers at Hana but accepted a new hand anyway. Without a minute everyone folded, except for Hana and Thomas. Hana was confident in her hand, but so was Thomas.

"Okay, how about this, I win, you be my servant for a week." Thomas gawked at Hana.

"Hell no. Try again." Hana thought hard. Then an idea came to mind.

"Okay, I've heard you can bake. If I win you have to bake whatever I want, one batch of it, the next seven times I ask. When I ask. Only way to get out of it is if a superior has you on task." Thomas thought it over.

"Okay, but if I win you have to give each fan who asks you a kiss at the party." Hana made a disgusted face.

"No way. How about this, five times baking, and if they ask me i kiss them on the cheek. And no one is allowed to tell them this, they have to figure it out themselves." Thomas smiled. He knew he would win, every card in his hand was a face card of the same suite. If he lost, it would be one in a million.

"I do it two times, and we get to tell whoever we want." Hana shook her head.

"You do it two times, you can tell whoever you want, but if I win you go to the party dressed as Aragorn from Lord Of The Rings." Thomas's smile fell, but another glance at his cards reassured him of his victory.

"Okay, If you win I bake for you two times and go to the party as Aragorn. If I win you have to kiss any fan who asks on the cheek. And we get to tell fans." Hana shuddered. But nodded.

"Deal. Show them." Thomas put down his cards and leaned back smugly. Hana smiled widely and put down her cards. She beat Thomas. The table burst out laughing

"Haha Aragorn. I win!"

"What!?" Jesse patted Thomas on the shoulder.

"Tough luck there" He snickered. "Aragorn." More laughter resounding from the table. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Hey" Said Olivia."At least you don't have to clean a bunch of bathrooms." Laughter sounded again, this time lacking Lena's distinct voice. After the laughter died down Hana looked at Thomas.

"Well, I think tonight I'm in a chocolate chip cookie mood." Thomas blinked.

"Right now?" Hana nodded.

"Yes Aragorn. You're not under orders from a superior." Thomas shook his head and put his cards on the table.

"Fine. Bastard." Thomas rose up from his seat and walked out of the room to the kitchens, grumbling quietly. Jesse laughed and got up.

"I'm going to go as well, I'm not going to lose my whiskey and I need to make sure Thomas doesn't poison the cookies. Or use salt instead of sugar." Fareeha shot Jesse a knowing look, but everyone else was to focused on not losing to pay attention. Stepping out of the room and into the much brighter hallway. Jesse was suddenly glad he had mostly avoided alcohol for tonight. Thomas, on the other hand, had had a little bit to drink. Just enough that he stumbled getting out of the room. Making his way to the kitchen he found Thomas already mixing ingredients. Sneaking up behind him Jesse wrapped his arms around him. His head rested on Thomas's shoulder, and Thomas jumped, a small amount of mix spilling over the edge of the bowl.

"Jesus Jesse. I wasn't even listening to music. How do you sneak so well? You have fucking spurs on your boots for Christ sakes."

"Actually I don't tonight. And you don't stay in Blackwatch as long as I have without learning how to be quiet when you need to." Jesse released Thomas from his hold, stepping backwards while Thomas resumed mixing.

"If I could learn to be that quiet I'd never mess up a mission." Jesse chuckled.

"You'd have to learn to keep quiet and not talk." Thomas added in some milk to the solution in front of him, stirring it more.

"Hey, me talking with you shows I trust you. You can ask Amelie or Olivia, when I was in Talon I was nearly totally mute. Never said more than the occasional grunt. Amelie thought I was retarded at first, but the fact I could create explosives and had an intense knowledge of chemicals and the periodic tables disproved her. I think I went four months without saying a word to anyone."

"Well I hope I never have to go so long without hearing your voice." Jesse planted a kiss just below Thomas hairline, almost directly at the nape of his neck. Thomas giggled.

"Someone had more to drink than they thought."

"Lets go with that." Thomas didn't respond, a series of thoughts pushed there way to the front. After he finished the mixing, he spoke again.

"You know, after I finish with these. Well, we don't have to go back to the others. Well I do, but only to drop these off." Jesse, his curiosity piqued, responded.

"Really? And what do you propose we do?"

"Well, uh. Remember, like a week ago. You know, whenever I'm ready?" Jesse grinned at Thomas.

"Darlin, I don't think that's a good idea." Thomas's face fell.

"Oh, that's okay. It was just a suggestion." Thomas turned back to the food to hide the embarrassed blush he knew was forming. Jesse stepped forward, gently spinning him around.

"i don't mean I don't want to. But it's important. You lose your virginity, its gone. Forever. You're a little drunk. I'm a little drunk. I just don't think it's a decision you should make without proper thought. I don't want you to make a mistake." The blush on Thomas's face maintained itself.

"I don't think it would ever be a mistake." Jesse chuckled and put his hand up to Thomas's cheek. The hand was calloused, but still soft.

"Now I know you're drunk. We'll talk later, in private. I promise. That okay?" Thomas nodded and Jesse kissed him on the forehead.

"Good, now do you want the flies to get the batter?" Thomas turned and spotted a fly heading directly towards the batter. Jumping back Thomas grabbed it out of the air. He turned triumphantly at Jesse.

"Who's drunk now? I caught it!"

"You did not."

"Yes I did. See." Thomas opened his hand to show Jesse and the fly escaped, fleeing towards the vents. Thomas looked back at Jesse.

"You knew that would happen." Jesse shrugged.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Meet me at my room when you're done." Thomas nodded and moved to the sink to wash his hands again. Jesse slipped out of the room, making his way back to his room. He had a few things he needed to get. While he was leaving a thought occurred to Thomas.

'How did Hana know I can bake.' Thought Thomas. Then it occurred to him.

"Olivia! The fucker told on me!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woooo. Poorly written smut!

Twenty five minutes later.

Thomas finished the cookies, placing five In a small plastic bag for both him and Jesse later. Thomas delivered a second, larger plastic bag to a noticeably smug Hana, who had apparently lost two hundred dollars to Lucio and Fareeha in the half hour since Thomas left. The fact gave him some comfort. After that, he made his way Jesse's room. Knocking on the door Thomas waited, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He waited outside for several minutes, nervousness peaking and dropping before he opened the door. He let it slide open slowly, peaking inside the room to find it empty. Thomas frowned. He wasn't quite sure what he expected, but Jesse being there had been pretty high up on the list. The thought of leaving struck Thomas, but he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him instead. Jesse said wait, he would probably be back. Hopefully. Thomas sat on the bed, settling in and turning on Jesse's Television.

It took about another twenty minutes, but Jesse showed up. With a small bag from Kapes (Imagine a future Walgreen). He smiled at Thomas on the bed.

"Hey darlin. You said you weren't drunk, that you were ready. Right?" It was an honest question, and Thomas sat up. The pain in his ribs had mostly subsided, but Thomas was still technically forbidden from exercise and was not green lighted for missions.

"Yeah. I remember. I barely had anything to drink." Jesse grinned.

"Well, if you want to, there's a thing you need to do first. If you can do it." Thomas got up from the bed, smiling at Jesse. His mind had been... wandering since he arrived. Plans of what he was doing, from going out to get something small thing he had neglected to him planning an elaborate event for the two of them. 

"Yes!" Thomas cleared his throat, not wanting to seem anxious. Smiling Jesse reached into the black bag and retrieved a small box. The front was disposable plastic, and revealed a small clear bag with a thin tube attached to a little... it looked like a nozzle. Thomas looked at the item with a confused expression.

"What is that?" Jesse chuckled.

"Well darlin, it's an enema. It's for cleaning up... down there." Thomas raised his left eyebrow, then understood.

"Wait, whoa whoa. You want me t-" Jesse raised an eyebrow. The look spoke clearly. 'if you don't want to, you don't have to.' Thomas set his face and took the package.

"Fine. I'll be back." And he set off for the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Jesse smiled and sat on the bed, ready to wait. After five minutes Thomas poked his head out of the bathroom.

"Do I use warm or cold water? It doesn't say." Jesse had to resist snickering.

"Warm or hot. Do not use cold." Thomas disappeared into the bathroom again, the door clicking behind him. After almost another twenty minutes the door opened. Thomas walked out, still dressed with a slightly disgusted look on his face. Jesse fought to hide his smile.

"I uh, left it on the counter, it's empty, and... I am." Thomas shuddered. "Clean." Jesse let his smile go through.

"Good." Jesse got up and walked to the door, keying the lock to lock it. After that he turned around to look at Thomas.

"Are you sure? Like I said, once your not a virgin it's gone, its gone for good." Thomas stepped forward, closing the distance and smiling while wrapping his arms around Jesse's shoulders. Looking up into Jesse's dark eyes he smiled.

"And like I said, it will never be a problem." Thomas leaned forward, catching Jesse's lips in a tender kiss. Jesse smiled into the kiss, kissing back and taking control. He was gentle in moving Thomas to the bed, mindful that a wrong push could hurt him. Jesse sat next to Thomas on the bed, continuing the kiss. After several moments Thomas pulled back, gasping for air, a small trail of spit connecting they two's lips. Thomas blushed madly, hues of red blessing his pale cheeks in swirling patterns. Jesse rose up from the bed, and began undressing, first taking off his Jacket and then the rest of his clothes. Thomas rose up and did the same, starting with his boots. Soon the two were in nothing but boxers and their shirts. Jesse's boxers had little handgun prints running around them, and Thomas had to resist staring.

"Lay on your hands and knees. I need to grab some things." Thomas nodded and hurried onto the bed, settling into position, and waiting. Jesse went to his closet, rummaging through it for several items. He found the first, hidden in an old boot he never wore anymore, then found the rest of the items. Jesse turned, and felt a twitch a the sight. Thomas looked at him curiously, a noticeable bulge in his own underwear. He grinned shyly and looked away, shifting awkwardly on the bed. He half wanted to hide the erection pressing against his boxers, and some smaller part of him wanted to spread his legs farther. He was one his hands and knees, but not the way Jesse needed him to be. Jesse carefully adjusted him, placing his elbows on the bed, and putting a pillow below his head. He would almost certainly need it later. Turning the lights down, Jesse set to work. He sat next to Thomas, carefully running the tips of his fingers up and down Thomas ribs under his shirt, occasionally catching the band of his boxers and pulling them down very slightly. Thomas made little gasps and pants, each touch feeling magnified as a heat slowly spread through him. Jesse's hands were large, and aside from Thomas's torso there was almost no part of the body that Jesse couldn't completely hold with one hand.

Jesse teased Thomas, running his hands up and down his body, rubbing at the shoulders and holding his arms and legs, watching small marks come and fade. Thomas gave a small gasp whenever Jesse even brushed against his groin or boxers. Jesse reached up under Thomas's shirt, running his fingers across his nipples and eliciting a loud gasp from Thomas. Jesse watched his legs tremble so slightly and saw the bulge in his boxers twitch.

"Damn Jesse. Can't you go a little... faster?" Jesse smirked.

"Okay, faster it is." He reached around the boxers and tugged them down, freeing Thomas as Thomas bit down on his lip to stop himself from moaning as the sudden surge of friction earned an additional twitch. Jesse grinned evilly. Thomas was smaller than Jesse, standing erect at about five, maybe five and a half inches. It was skinny, like the rest of him, but Jesse saw more than a small amount of precum had dribbled out from his tip. Jesse gently took it, stroking Thomas slowly. Thomas bit harder on his lip to stop himself from moaning.

"I want to hear you." Jesse whispered into his ear. He gently ran his teeth over Thomas's earlobe and stroked again. Thomas moaned loudly at the touch, his hip jerking forward without him meaning to. Jesse stroked three more times before releasing Thomas. Thomas made a small whimper at the sudden lack of stimulation without realizing it.

"Jesse." He groaned. It felt amazing, Jesse's hand rough and soft, gentle yet firm. His cheek were burning but the embarrassment had dissipated.

"Don't worry darling. It gets better." Jesse took one of the items he had retrieved, a small bottle of vanilla lubricant, and opened it. Squirting a generous amount onto his hand and rubbing it in Jesse got behind Thomas.

"Okay darlin. If you want to stop, say red. If you want to go slower, say yellow, and if I ask and you're okay, say green. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Say it back to me."

"Red to stop, yellow for slower, green for go. Like traffic lights." Jesse nodded and lowered himself down. He pressed a single digit to Thomas's entrance, feeling Thomas tense up at the feeling. It was like a vice, and the euphoric trance snapped like a twig.

"Relax darlin." Jesse leaned forward and kissed Thomas at the base of the spine. Currently he was only one knuckle deep, and waited patiently while he felt the muscle tighten and loosen. After a minute Jesse slid the finger slowly in, stopping as he felt the muscle tense. A small whimper escaped Thomas's lips, and he squeezed his eyes shut, breezing spiking slightly. Thomas knew he'd been gay for quite a while, but he'd never... experimented. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling, but the cold lube wasn't helping.

"There you go darlin. How's it feel?" Thomas shifted his knees.

"Cold. And, strange." The answer was honest. Jesse nodded. He could see that Thomas's erection was flagging.

"It gets much better." Jesse looked around at Thomas's neglected cock. It had lost some of its color. The first time with Anal, or with sex period would be... strange. Jesse reached around with his left hand and grasped Thomas's cock in his hand. He felt Thomas tighten around his finger and began stroking him again. It took no time for the erection to come back in full force, and Jesse heard a pant leave Thomas's lips. Jesse carefully slipped a second finger into Thomas, watching him squirm. Jesse slowly spread the two fingers while stroking Thomas. Thomas whined loudly.

"Jesse." Thomas's voice sounded higher than usual.

"Be patient. If I just go in now you're not gonna walk right for a week." Thomas made an annoyed sound, and Jesse decided to give him a new experience.

"Hold your horses. Just relax yourself and let me show you what you've been missing." Jesse pushed his fingers in as deep as they could go, curling the thick digits and spreading them. Thomas gasped and whimpered at the sensation, his knees wobbling. Jesse began moving his fingers around, searching for a particular nerve cluster and stroking Thomas along. He looked again. Thomas's cock was flushed, pre dribbling in great quantities. The head was nearly discolored from neglect, and Jesse began stroking him faster. Thomas made delicious noises, grunts and moans as Jesse searched. Finally, Jesse found the nerve he was looking for. He brushed against it and Thomas gasped, his head falling forward, and elbows wobbling. A thin layer of sweat was slowly accumulating, dampening his shirt. Jesse was almost painfully hard, but this time wasn't about Jesse. This was about Thomas. And Jesse wanted him to know it.

"You know, someone once told me that virgins were always fun to be with. That they were so very" He leaned closer to Thomas's ear. "Sensitive to every little touch and brush." Jesse brushed against the prostate again, watching Thomas's react with joy until decided to stop teasing the younger man. He rubbed against the prostate, pressing against the nerve, stretching, scissoring and pushing all while stroking Thomas. He watched Thomas's toes curl and uncurl, his hands grip the pillow and his jaw set in place, all while the muscles in his legs danced gloriously. His anus tightened around Jesse's finger, holding them immobile. Jesse cock twitched, wishing it was it and not his fingers being gripped so beautifully. After just a few seconds of this Thomas made a strangled grunt and sagged forward. Jesse felt Thomas's cock pulse twice as he shuddered. He looked under and watched Thomas come. Thomas's head hung where Jesse could see it, his eyes squeezed shut and face deep red. His hips bucked uncontrollably into Jesse's hand, milking himself now. Semen spurted out in large globs, some hanging onto the hair on Jesse's hand, more falling onto the bed. Jesse planted a kiss on one of the Jagged scars on Thomas thigh, feeling the muscle loosening under the skin. This all continued for over thirty seconds before the flow of semen stopped. Thomas let out a loud gasp and he pitched forward, head landing on the pillow Jesse had set out. The color was gone from his cheeks and he panted, eyes hazy. Dark grey clouds hung over the bright green hazel orbs. Jesse watched so much emotion roil around in them. He saw the haze of pleasure clinging in, and Jesse saw the slightest bit of his own reflection in them. Smiling and leaning forward, running his fingers along Thomas's spine and watching him shiver. He stopped, his mouth just next to Thomas's ear and whispered almost inaudibly into Thomas's ear.

"How was that? Worth it?" Thomas nodded and muttered incoherently. Jesse planted a gentle kiss on the nape of Thomas neck, smiling at him.

"You want to stop for now?" Thomas looked back at Jesse and, with some difficulty, rose up onto his elbows again. Jesse watched with some satisfaction as he wobbled up.

"No way. Lets keep going." Jesse smiled.

"Let's get undressed the rest of the way then." Jesse got up, and nearly ripped his boxers taking them off. Taking care of Thomas was fun, and he meant it if Thomas wanted to stop, getting fingered wasn't the same as having a cock in you after all. Jesse was longer at seven inches and twice as thick as Thomas. Jesse stripped off his own shirt, and then bent over, helping Thomas, who was now on his back, escape the confines of his shirt. Its peeled off, and Jesse pulled the wet and sticky fabric up over Thomas's head. Jesse stopped, drinking in the sight of his partner below him. Thomas had the beginnings of ab muscles poking through the soft and flat flesh. The bandages around his ribs had been taken off, and a single unsightly bruise marked the ribs. Jesse saw that Thomas's arms were muscular, and Thomas had numerous scars adorning his torso. Some were clearly from battle wounds. They were jagged and criss crossed across Thomas's torso. Other were more, precise. Not self harm marks, but marks were someone had cut into him with surgical precision. Thomas looked away, self consciousness flooding his mind and piercing the gloom of pleasure. Seeing this Jesse smiled, lowering himself and kissing the scars. He gently ran his fingers across the marks, and Thomas watched him, breathe held. There was almost no hair on Thomas's chest, and the smooth flesh felt strange to Jesse. Thomas shivered a little, but grinned widely. Jesse had large muscles, a near opposite of Thomas. His abs were nearly chiseled out, and his arms and legs each boasted a number of thick knots of muscle. He had his own array of scars, some small and other big that dotted up and down his body. Thick puffs of hair adorned his chest and body. His skin was tanned all over, even on his private areas, and Thomas blushed even more at the thought of Jesse laying naked somewhere tanning.

"Like what you see? I know I do." Jesse up, bringing his arms up and stretching in front of Thomas. Thomas felt the blush grow more intense, and he also felt his own cock growing back to full mast. He nodded at Jesse, unsure of his own voice. Jesse took the bottle of lube and a condom. He quickly rolled on the condom and squirted a generous amount of lube onto his hand. Setting the bottle back down on the nightstand Jesse took a moment to coat himself generously. He stroked himself, basking in the feeling. It had been months since Jesse had been with anyone, but unlike Thomas Jesse frequented a variety of toys. He continued, stroking himself until he felt like he may pop soon, and forced himself to stop. He had someone better than his hand waiting. Turning back to Thomas he saw he was back to full mast, staring openly at Jesse. Closing the distance Jesse leaned over Thomas, placing his hands on either side of Thomas's head.

"I'll go slow. If you want to stop, what do you say?"

"Red." Thomas's voice was faint, and as he breathed Jesse heard the quiet panting in his voice.

"Do you want to continue? Like I said-"

"It's a bit late for that Jesse. Green." Thomas whispered. Jesse smiled and pressed forward, pressing the tip of his cock against Thomas's loosened entrance. Thomas tightened, his face constricting at the feeling. Jesse paused, waiting for Thomas to adjust to just his head. He squeezed tightly against Jesse's head, not entirely accidentally. Jesse, deciding he didn't like the current position, readjusted his grip, wrapping one hand around each of Thomas's thighs and lifting him up as if Thomas weighed nothing. This pulled Thomas closer and Jesse pushed deeper into him, watching Thomas's eyes squeeze shut as he let out a silent shout, biting on his lip to quiet himself. He quivered at the sensation. He covered his mouth with one hand, cutting off a less silent moan as Jesse paused his pushing.

"Take that off. I want to hear you." Thomas pulled his hand off his mouth, smiling widely. He looked beautiful. Thomas's cheeks were flushed now, and pleasure clouded his eyes. Jesse felt that Thomas adjusted again, and pushed the rest of the way in. He felt Thomas suddenly clamp down on him as he accidentally brushed past his prostate, and Jesse had to stop. He held his breathe, fighting the urge to bend Thomas over and fuck him. He felt the tight muscle clench on him, trying to draw more in. Jesse's breathe was shaky, and he fought his instinct to lose control. Thomas's face was strained and desperate, he squirmed under Jesse, gasping and moaning without a care who may hear. Jesse waited a moment more, and rocked his hips forward, sinking the rest of his cock into Thomas. Thomas squirmed again, he didn't know what to do with his hands. Jesse adjusted and released Thomas's thighs. The angle kept Thomas held up, and Jesse set to work on his exposed torso. One hand went to his nipple, taking it between his index finger and thumb, teasing it. Thomas gasped, his head thrown into the pillow, the veins of his neck bulging as he squirmed in pleasure. The second hand ran up and down his body, feather light touches that made Thomas jerk away while little nothing words and noises escaped him. 

Thomas never had a chance to try toys on himself, and using his hand never came close to this feeling. He felt full, but it was... pressured as well. Jesse rocked his hips again, removing less than an inch and putting it back in just as quickly. Thomas's eyes flew open and he grabbed Jesse's arm, wrapping his hands around the muscle and gasping out. Jesse chuckled and began to run his fingers up and down Thomas's body, pushing on some spots and pinching others.

"Shit. Jesse... " Jesse knew Thomas wasn't ready. He clung to him, and he breathed in short gasps. His teeth clenched and his muscles twitched. He needed more time to adjust, or else all the buildup would have no effect on the younger man tomorrow.

"Not yet Darlin." Jesse grunted out. An irritated moan escaped Thomas throat as he threw his head back again while Jesse continued to tease him. Occasionally Jesse would give his hard cock a quick stroke, just enough to keep it around and remind it it wasn't being ignored. The organ was flushed and pressed tightly against Thomas's stomach, precum pooling already in his belly button and abdomen. Jesse rocked his hips again, feeling less resistance and a less dramatic reaction from Thomas.

"Come on Jesse!" Jesse grinned and pulled out slowly, watching Thomas squirm more. Thomas reached down and took himself in his hands, stroking furiously. Jesse took the offending limb, pinning them above Thomas's head. He froze, looking Jesse in the eye as he quickly lowered himself to be just in front of Thomas's face.

"I got this darlin. Let me do that." Thomas nodded desperately, his eyes pleading with Jesse for more. Thomas's hips bucked, desperate for touch, for friction and Thomas moaned loudly. Jesse caught him in a kiss, cutting off the moan and holding his lips like this. Thomas offered token resistance, mostly letting Jesse take control of Thomas's mouth. More sweat layered on Thomas, and the pool of precum on his stomach was leaking onto the sheet. Thomas shook again, and then went limp as Jesse thrusted back into him, bottoming out again. He felt less resistance and bent over, bending Thomas, taking his legs and placing them on Jesse's shoulders. Jesse leaned in and took Thomas's hands, pinning them above his head and began thrusting freely into Thomas. Thomas writhed under him, silent screaming leaving him. Jesse grunted with each thrust, smiling and leaning down to trap Thomas's lips again. Thomas's skin felt so hot, and he moaned wantonly into the kiss. Jesse released one of Thomas hands and reached down, taking Thomas's cock in hand and stroking in time with each thrust. Jesse withdrew himself nearly completely and angled himself so when he thrusted back in he would hit Thomas prostate.

"Hhng, Jesse,è così buono!" Thomas moaned. He twitched and spasmed while he let out small pants. Jesse smiled. He recognized it as Italian. As Jesse thrusted in and hit the bundle of nerves. Thomas let out a pleasured scream. Between that and the now very distinct and lewd wet slapping Jesse was happy that the room, while not being sound proof, was mostly soundproof. Jesse rolled his hips, hitting the same spot, once, twice, three times before he felt Thomas jerk and spasm uncontrollably as he came. He arched his back and clamped down on Jesse's length. Jesse's gasped, leaning down and kissing Thomas at the base of his neck, hard. He wanted to leave a mark on the younger man. He felt Thomas's tightening around Jesse's cock, and he didn't want to hold on. He came hard, thrusting as he felt cum jet out of him. Jesse held Thomas tightly, holding him close as he rocked his hips. Thomas was taught, his muscles quivering and little bits of white creeping into his vision.

"Cazzo, Jesse, sono così vicino, per favore!" Thomas went limp in Jesse grip, his arms falling to his side. After a moment Jesse pulled out slowly, a quiet popping sound barely audible among the heavy breathing. Jesse was careful to set Thomas down before falling next to him. Thomas's arm lay on his head, covering his eyes while he panted. Jesse smiled, 

'He's beautiful.' Jesse thought and shuffled closer, pulling Thomas against his own body. Thomas's cheeks still glew red, and cum still leaked out of his rapidly deflating cock. Because he was now turned on his side the small pool of cum slid off his stomach onto the sheets, and Thomas back was sticky from the cum he lay in.

"You know what the funniest part of all of this is?" Asked Jesse. Thomas blinked open an eye, looking up lazily from his comfortable spot against Jesse's chest.

"Hmm?"

"You pick fights over little and stupid things. But all you need to do is push the right buttons, and you go from a roaring lion to mewling like a kitten." Thomas frowned playfully at Jesse. He wanted to speak, but everything felt numb, except his ass. That felt like it burned and was cold at the same time. Jesse smiled at the look at brought Thomas body closer to his own, enjoying the warmth each provided the other.

"So, you speak Italian when you're orgasming. Good to know." Thomas's eyes shot open as a blush rushed to his cheeks. Jesse planted a kiss on the top of Thomas's head, parting the hair with his nose. Thomas pushed up against Jesse's body and lay his head on his arm, sighing quietly and falling asleep quickly. When Jesse kissed Thomas on the back of his neck, and set his forehead against the same spot, sighing quietly as well. They should clean up. But Jesse saw the tired and blissful look on Thomas's face and couldn't bring himself to wake him. Taking some wet wipes Jesse cleaned off his boyfriend with gentle wipes. He pulled Thomas away from the puddle of semen of the bed. Satisfied they were clean enough Jesse pulled Thomas closer, holding him in his arms and closing his eyes.

8 hours later.

Jesse awoke to the sound of water running and quiet music playing. He opened his eyes, watching a small trail of mist leaving from underneath the bathroom door. It rose up, dissipating rapidly. Jesse rose up from the bed, quickly walking to the bathroom door. He heard music playing inside.

"-lose control. I'm caught up in this world. I've wasted time and I've wasted breathe-" And Jesse smiled. The song was playing but he heard Thomas singing with it. He slowly opened the door, careful not to alert Thomas of his presence. Thomas continued singing, oblivious as Jesse watched him through the stained glass, his form distorted and darkened. After a minute Jesse stepped forward, reaching forward and unlatching the door to the actual shower chamber. He peaked in, looking at Thomas who was surprised to see him. Thomas smiled and turned, hiding his back from view. It was force of habit. Jesse had seen the scars and knew what had happened with several of them, but he still hated them. Jesse stepped under the warm water and hugged Thomas. Thomas leaned his face against the man's shoulder and sighed quietly.

"I love you." Said Jesse, taking Thomas hand and intertwining there fingers. Jesse kissed Thomas on the mouth before he had a chance to respond. Thomas eventually broke the kiss and looked at Jesse.

"Love you too."

"Now your making me blush." Thomas laughed.

"That's what makes you blush? After last night that makes you blush?" Jesse shrugged.

"What, a cute man saying he loves me? That'd make anyone blush." Now Thomas blushed and kissed Jesse on the lips. Eventually the two began to actually wash themselves, but for the moment they enjoyed the others company and held each other.

One hour later. Cafeteria.

Thomas sat with a plate of waffles, eagerly eating the food. Jesse also a had a plate of waffles, but ate more calmly than Thomas. Fareeha and Lena both sat at the table, Lena with eggs and toast and Fareeha with waffles as well. Fareeha glanced at Jesse and smirked.

"So Thomas." Thomas paused, looking up at Fareeha. "I'm guessing you had fun last night." A look of alarm appeared on Thomas's face.

"What! How did you know!" Jesse shook his head and Lena laughed. Fareeha smiled smugly.

"I didn't, but now I do." Thomas's mouth opened but he closed it again, deciding to simply be silent. Lena chimed into the conversation.

"So, I if you're together, who's fucking whom." Thomas looked at Lena.

"I am not talking about this." And he put another forkful of waffle in his mouth. Lena glanced at Jesse, who nodded. After a moment Thomas spoke again.

"Welp, everyone I care about knows, might as well be open about it." Thomas leaned over, taking Jesse's chin and kissed him, holding the kiss for several seconds before releasing him. Jesse was taken by surprise, and looked blankly stunned for several seconds.

"Oooooh." Said Lena, and she smiled. Thomas went back to his food.

"I've wanted to do that for two months now. And now I can because I'm apparently super obvious." Lena smiled.

"If it makes ya feel better, you actually weren't. But when you found out Jesse was injured it became extremely obvious." Fareeha nodded.

"Plus, what you said to Ana made it obvious, but it was really sweet." Jesse looked at Thomas.

"Wait, what'd he say?" Fareeha looked at Thomas, mild surprise evident.

"You didn't tell him?" Thomas shrugged.

"No. I just... didn't" Jesse looked from Thomas to Fareeha.

"Wait what?" Fareeha looked questioningly at Thomas, who nodded.

"Ana knew that Thomas couldn't do anything while you were hurt, so she didn't want to tell him what room you were in. Thomas said, 'Ana he's my best friend, if you don't tell me I'll find out myself.' Or something along the lines of that."

"Aww. You do something really sweet and you don't even tell me!" Thomas shrugged.

"I don't know. It just didn't come up." Jesse leaned over and kissed Thomas on the cheek.

"Anything else you're not telling me?" Lena made a squealing noise and laughed.

"You're so cute together! Why didn't you tell people earlier?" Thomas looked at Lena.

"That is something I want no one else to know." He then looked at Fareeha and finally at Jesse, showing he was serious. The two nodded, understanding his reluctance to tell. While the group ate Jack appeared in the cafeteria, striding with purpose towards the table. Thomas did not see him, but Lena and Fareeha both watched him approach. He was smiling, as if enjoying some private joke, and Lena shared a glance with Fareeha, knowing that that feature meant nothing good. He approached the table, leaning on it and getting the attention of Thomas and Jesse. He looked at each person before setting his gaze on Thomas. Everyone held there breathe, wondering what was happening. Finally Jack handed Thomas a single paper.

Thomas took the paper and with a final glance at Jack examined it. Jesse immediately knew what it was, and looked at Jack, silently questioning his decision. Thomas looked at Jack.

"Really?" Jack nodded.

"Absolutely. It's mandatory, and it starts in two days." The paper contained information on a boot camp. It was detailed and to the point, exactly what you would expect from a no-nonsense boot camp flier. This one was for 'Questionable agents.'

"This" Jack said."Is a high stress test of agents, captured criminals, ex-Talon and etc." Jesse spoke next.

"I had to do it. Sergeant Morelle is a pain in the ass." jack glanced at Jesse, frustration apparent but saying nothing. He than returned to talking to Thomas.

"You will wear the standard Blackwatch dress uniform and be at my office at 0800 Friday morning. I suggest you be ready." Thomas set the flier on the table and looked at jack.

"And I'm going to be okay. My injuries will not hinder me?" Jack nodded.

"By Friday you'll be fine. After breakfast report to Angela for a final exam and a few other tests." Thomas nodded. Jack continued smiling and walked away like that, leaving the others behind. Once he left Thomas's head fell forward, banging against the table as he groaned loudly.

"Fucking boot camp. With Jack, Gabe, and random drill Sergeant. They are going to get me back for everything I've ever done to them."

"Every snarky, snippy or sarcastic comment. It was nice knowing you." Jesse leaned over put his arm around Thomas.

"You'll be fine. I promise." Thomas groaned quietly, but then heard a quiet click. He looked up from his spot to see Lena rapidly lowering her arm.

"Lena!" Said Thomas. She smiled.

"I did nothing."

"Did you just take a picture!"

"No! Would I ever- HEY!" Fareeha took the phone and glanced at the picture, smiling.

"It's a cute picture." And she handed Lena the phone back. Lena took it and grinned guiltily at Thomas. Thomas shook his head and let it thump against the table again.

Thirty minutes later.

"How did he react? Was he angry?" Asked Gabe. He lay on the bed, reading a signed copy of The Alchemist and wearing a pair of sweat pants. Jack was changing into formal strike commander attire, mainly a tight fitting blue jumpsuit with a matching overcoat and a few accessories. Medals, bits of body armor, all ceremonial or meant to display rank and experience.

"He took the news well. Then banged his head into a table." Gabriel laughed loudly.

"No way a concussion is getting him out of this. Do you remember Allison? The Russian hacker? Broke her arm to get out of it." Jack chuckled.

"Yeah. She dropped out quick. I think she's still in a that Mountain camp now. Really shouldn't have tried to cheat." Jack nodded, smoothing out the coats wrinkles.

"What if Thomas flunks out? We should have done this earlier."

"But we couldn't. For all we know if we dropped him off he would have tried to kill the guards and escape. Waiting until we could oversee him in the camp is the best course." Gabe reasoned to Jack, who shook his head.

"I suppose. How do I look?" Gabe rose up from the bed, walking over and wrapping his arms around Jack.

"Like you always do." And he kissed Jack on the cheek. Jack smiled at the reflection.

"I don't know whether that is good or bad anymore."

Same time, in Angela's office.

"Okay, this should be simple. There are three tests. First, answer it like you would. If you would help, write help or bubble in whatever choice you want. It's a test. The second one, be as morally good as you believe. Do only the right thing as you see it no matter what. The third one is identical to the first two, but be as immoral as you can." She handed the papers to Thomas, and it totaled about eighteen pages.

"All of this? This is four hundred and fifty questions! I'm supposed to be prepping for boot camp and I have to take a stupid morality test!" Angela's eye's hardened.

"Well, I asked you to take it when you had a chance three weeks ago. Food for thought." And she left.

"That's cold Angela." But she was gone. Thomas took the pen and leaned the chair on its back two legs.

"Question one, you see an old man stuck on the median of a road... What the hell is a median?"

Seven hours later

Angela opened the door and sighed, more than a little irritated. Thomas lay in the chair, his feet on the desk, the chair on its back two legs and fast asleep. She stepped forward, ready to chew the boy out for not taking the tests seriously. They were very important, and she was worried. Child abuse, depression, malnutrition, as a doctor Thomas was a big red flag on legs. And, though she was a doctor first, she was still Thomas's friend. And she worried about him deeply. Before she spoke however she saw seventeen pages filled out, with his signature and date signed on each one. His signature read Thomas L. Byron, in near perfect cursive. The final page was in his hand, laying on his chest. The pencil had fallen onto the floor. She gently tapped Thomas's shoulder watching his eyes flutter and him shift a little. She pressed her lips together, her previous frustration surfacing when she tapped him again, more aggressive this time. Thomas awoke, sitting straight up and tipping the chair backwards. Thomas grabbing at the edge of the table but missing. Angela caught the back of the chair, looking down at Thomas with a scolding glare. He smiled at her, a nervous chuckle escaping him.

"I uh, I only..." He glanced at the paper. "Seventeen questions left." He smiled and Angela let the chair fall forward on four legs. Angela collected the completed pages, straightening them out.

"Finish that. Then bring it to me." And with that she left again. Thomas collected his wits again and set to finishing the tests.

Six hours later.

"Okay Angela. You've piqued our curiosity. How is the kid?" Asked Gabriel. He held a mug of some hot chocolate his family had sent him nearly a year ago. It was a surprise it was even good still. Jack and Ana were also in the room, Jack nurses a cup of coffee and Ana with tea. The four sat in a private room, Angela holding the results that both she and the computers had determined of Thomas's tests.

"Well, they revealed much less than I thought they would. The tests show that he very aggressive. Initially he is kind to people, sort of like benefit of the doubt. But if someone wrongs him he will remember and if possible and smart will take revenge. He hates omnics and is much more likely to attack on sight. He loves animals. He is surprisingly well educated. For several answers he wrote in his own on the provided space. He's also incredibly loyal." Before she could continue Gabriel interrupted.

"Doc, we can tell that. Those are personality traits. Mainly, I want to know is he clear for duty? Is he going to crack if we send him on the wrong mission? Is he one straw away from breaking his back?" Angela inhaled deeply.

"No. I do not think he will have a mental breakdown. However-" She raised her hand and silenced Jack, who closed his mouth. "I am greatly worried. These tests are not indicators of his exact personality, but these combined with what we know shows that I do believe he has severe mental trauma. I believe that he is somewhat volatile, and possibly bipolar. Truthfully, if he was a normal recruit, I would recommend therapy and put him off the ready list. But, given his... special circumstances. We should continue what we are doing." She looked at Jack, allowing him to speak.

"Should we take him off the camp?"

"No. In fact I think that it will do him some good. Though it is good you will be there. And if he does snap, I realize that we all have come to care about him, but if something happens, we need to treat him like we never even knew him." She looked at each person arrayed around her. When she met no objections she nodded.

"Very good."


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey its another chapter.  
> So for the boot camp i researched British S.A.S. training, U.S. special forces (Marines, rangers.) and a few others and put some bits of it together, also this will not be the last we see of some of the newest villains I'm adding. Remember there names and descriptions.

Sergeant Morelle stalked up and down the line of soldiers. Each one was either ex-Talon, talented criminals who were deemed morally capable of change and other misfits. A grand total of twenty two people stood at varying levels of attention. Surprisingly, Thomas was the most professional. His uniform was immaculate, pressed and his hair was neater than either Jack or Gabriel had ever seen. Thomas had cleaned his face well, doing his best to look his best. Truthfully, Thomas felt like he was going to have a panic attack at any moment. Cleaning up just made him feel better. Besides, better to look good then bad he supposed.Thomas's scrawny self was stuck, of course, between a six foot ten inch man bristling with so much muscle he looked like he could beat Reinhardt in an arm wrestling match. Or at least take longer to lose than everyone else did. The man to his right was only six foot two, and relatively scrawny, but compared to Thomas he might as well have been a bear.

Morelle continued to move, enjoying surveying the latest batch of people. Only five would leave, no matter what. Out of the twenty two, seventeen would be eliminated and sent to prisons, there home countries and miscellaneous hells. Such variety, it made Morelle smile in excitement. He had Two French, four Americans, seven Russians, four Asians, one Mexican, a German, a Canadian and two Indians. People loved to say that stereotypes don't exist, but after twenty years of training and sending people to various levels of hell he knew that people typically held to various stereotypes, though not the ones you'd expect. French were usually smart and cunning, but still strong. Germans and Russians loved to think outside the box, but also loved just breaking the metaphorical box. Canadians were surprisingly vicious, and Americans surprisingly nice. Enjoying the various looks he received a moment longer, Morelle spoke in a rich, deep voice with a Scandinavian accent.

"Everyone, why will you not fail?" He looked at one of the Russian Men. The man was muscular and short, only five foot four. Morelle stared down at him, enjoying the little bit of extra humiliation the height gave him. The Russian man responded.

"I don't fail." Was his answer, his accent surprisingly not Russian, more so Balkan and central European. Morelle nodded. 'I give him two days'. He thought to himself. He walked up the line, lanky legs reaching far forward and pulling him around great defference. He looked at the sky, noticing the storm clouds gathering.

"Perfect." He said to himself, a sly grin forming on his face, spreading from ear to ear. He stopped in front of one of the French women. She was black, with a well crafted face. She was physically attractive, and Morelle spared a second to wonder what she did to wind up here. She stared him in the eye as he passed, not backing down. No one did, everyone's eyes followed him. Each of them stood at varying levels of attention, some stooped, some looking bored, some at strict attention. Morelle stopped in front of the scrawny Canadian. He had gone great lengths to look good.

'Kiss up, or full of himself?' Thought Morelle.

"Why will you not fail Reject!" The boy stood straight up, not making I contact.

"Because you have not given this reject permission to fail." Morelle's smile grew. 'Kiss up, but he's been through drill before.'

"How old are you reject?"

"Eighteen sir!" Morelle's smile remained, but he frowned internally.

'Eighteen years, and been through drill at least once. He remembered this ones profile. Thomas Byron, ex-Talon.' Morelle would keep an eye on him, but both the commanders present seemed to have taken special interest in the boy. And Morelle knew better than to interfere with them.

"All of you will have crossed the ten mile point at least once in the next two hours." He waited, gauging reactions. When there were no outbursts he gestured towards the woods.

"Well get going!" And about eighteen of them took off, sprinting towards the woods and down the path. The other four were running, they just weren't fast enough. And at the back of the pack was Byron. Morelle felt a vein burst and ran up next to Byron.

"Reject! Why are you at the back of the pack?!?!" Thomas looked forward, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Sir, this reject respectably requests you ask him again in two hours." Morelle smirked internally, but continued to yell.

"And why should I honor your requests?!"

"Because this reject doesn't have an answer currently sir!" Morelle nodded and turned away, walking to the one of the five ATV's nearby. By the time he arrived most the people had disappeared into the forest, only two still visible. Morelle went to his own ATV and smiled. He loved watching the rejects who sprinted at the beginning collapse. After the two hour run was a ten hour run, a twelve hour map and area examination to learn how good the crew is with navigation. Then they got to eat there fill of food and sleep, then the fun begins. Morelle smiled. He loved his job, and with a press of a button a small swarm of drones, each one sporting cameras to ensure no one tries to run away from the training.

After ninety minutes of jogging, Thomas sat solidly as the fourth person to cross the ten mile marker. He had barely broken a sweat, and he was smiling. The other three people were all sweating profusely, each one of them sporting three water bottles each to rehydrate. Thomas felt sorry for them. He knew there was no way that the training stopped after such a simple task, and all this water sloshing around in there guts would cause them to vomit during the next task, depending on how intensive it is. Thomas sat down in a relatively clean spot of dirt. His uniform for Blackwatch was wrinkled, but not nearly as much the others uniforms. Many of them had unbuttoned and untucked parts of there uniforms. Thomas nursed a single bottle of water. It was maybe ninety five degrees out, and the other crowded under shady spots. The ten mile marker was a large circle around ten foot in circumference, sitting in the middle of an open clearing with no shade. The other three crowded outside of the circle which was clearly marked by red flags every foot or so. Thomas was going to wait until the Drill sergeant arrived to move from this circle, and he was fine with the heat.

Luckily, Thomas didn't have to wait long. Within five minutes of his arrival three more people trotted along the marker line, taking water bottles and joining the rest of the people in the shade, desperately trying to avoid the now intense heat.

'Must be swamps nearby.' Thought Thomas. 'Or a lake. The humidity is to high for a forest.' Over the next twenty minutes all but two people crossed the finish line. Those two were brought in by a small amount of people on ATV's. Morelle shouted at them to get off the ATV's and they were denied water. He then shouted at each person who left the circle. Everyone arrived and lined up, some quickly but many dragging there feat. Thomas noted with no small amount of satisfaction that the large man who stood next to him, who had also shoved Thomas when he started running, was now red in the face and one of the two who hadn't arrived in time. Morelle stepped in front of the people, and announced a march would begin. He went to the back of the ATV, unloading numerous small packs from the back.

"Everyone take one of these, now!" People assembled, several pushing to grab one. Each one weighed about fifty pounds and was the size of a small tac bag. They had no straps, no handles and no grooves save a small lock to open the bag. Morelle must have had experience removing them from the tiny compartments. People grumbled, trying multiple different ways to carry the items. Most had difficulty, and several settled on holding it with both hands awkwardly in front of them. Morelle smiled, and noticed that three of the rejects had yet to pick up the items. He smiled to himself, a slight move of muscles imperceptible to anyone else. He hadn't given the order to pick up the objects, he had told them to take one, not carry it.

"Everyone, you have ten minutes to find a way to efficiently carry these awkward devices. Go." The people looked among themselves, and a scant handful went into the nearby woods to find hidden rope or items they heard were hidden. One tried vines, but they broke, unable to hold up the small item. Thomas however, quickly gathered six sticks, sitting cross legged on the ground and testing their durability and dexterity. Two people, named Marius and Christof, watched Thomas.

"What is that kid doing?" Asked Marcus. Marcus was a white Russian man. He was a soft faced man, stark contrast of most of his fellow Russians and stood comfortable at Six foot and one inch tall. His hawk nose hung on level with his upper lip and his eyes were almost uncomfortably close together. His eyebrow were nearly a unibrow, and he sported a mustache with side burns on his cheeks. He had been captured when his group of 'extremists' were taken in by Overwatch. They believed in equality among omnics and people in Russia, where no omnics were allowed. Except his group had been found with several hundreds of pounds of explosives, and probable cause that they intended to bomb key Russian officials. Since he made the explosives, he had been offered an opportunity to escape life prison, or even execution for his part in the events scheduled to happen. Christof was a German Women. Most of her friends called her Christie. She was five foot eleven inches tall. She had long brown hair and bright brown eyes. Her features, unlike her new acquaintance's, were not slightly out of place. She has strong cheek bones, and narrow eyes with a powerful cunning hidden behind thick eyelashes. She had been arrested for manipulating both men and women into bad business deals with her wit, charm and the illegal aspect- if they refused she had other people harass the person until they agreed, or until some other beneficial thing occurred.

The two watched Thomas, as he bent and turned the stick. When he decided they were dexterous enough he pulled them into an L shape. Thomas then began tying the sticks together at the base, creating a small basket of sticks to hold his pack. Thomas walked over, taking his pack and placed it into his stick bundle. He stood up straight, adjusting his grip on the bundle. It held well. The sticks shuttered, but none frayed or broke. Thomas swung it slowly, testing the feel and adjusting the grip. He slowly added a vine, then two then three to the basket. Now he had a comfortable way to carry his pack, and Thomas smiled.

"He made a little basket." Christof said. Marcus nodded.

"I'm thinking the kid is dangerously competent. Alliance?" He glanced at Christof, who smiled dangerously.

"Let me take care of this one. I'll wrap him around my finger, and he'll do anything for us." Christof did not say it, but she thought to herself- 'Just like I did you.'

After Thomas made his basket, a few other people took sticks, attempting to build there own baskets. But none could. There sticks broke, or there knots slips out. No one else could build one as good as Thomas's. The only other one to get a basket, was disappointed to find it snapped and broke, dropping the pack directly next to his foot with a loud thud. As she gathered the pack Morelle screamed at her to get it together. About ten minutes into the march Christof made her way next to Thomas, kicking up her natural charm.

"Hello handsome." Her voice was soft, and she spoke breathily into Thomas ear. She had to be quiet though. Thomas nodded at her, not responding.

"i have a certain... proposition for you and only you." Thomas nodded again, curious what she was up to. She spoke strangely, and it took him a second to realize what she was doing.

"I have an alliance with a friend of mine, and you want to be a part of it, right?" The way she spoke reminded Thomas of how Jesse had spoken during sex. Thomas smiled at the memory, and his cheeks sported a small blush. Christof mistook Thomas's reaction to the thought of Jesse, to him thinking of her.

"If you help me, I will help you." She dragged out the last word, reeling in her prey. It was too easy.

"No." Thomas whispered. Christof paused for just a moment, loosing her previously flawless rhythm.

"Pardon?" She asked cheerily. Thomas grinned.

"No." He repeated she frowned, but knew better than to push. She drifted back to Marcus and while she did so, Thomas continued smiling.

"No luck?" He asked. Christof shot him a look frustration and he shrugged, looking away.

"We may have a problem then, because I heard that only a quarter of each group makes it into Blackwatch, and that little kiss up is gunning for a spot. What say you" And she leaned closer to her accomplice."that we sabotage him a little?" Marcus looked at her and shrugged.

"I'm not going to prison."

After that the group began to walk. And walk. And walk some more. Thomas discovered that the grounds of the base were not marked in any visible way, but he was certain that if someone darted, they would be caught. Several swamp areas dotted through the grounds, each one about one hundred feet of stagnant water and damp wood smell wafting away. The sun now sweltered overhead, and Morelle was careful to keep the pace. he looked like he hadn't broken a sweat, and over a dozen of the people were struggling, alternating the way they handled there packages. Thomas continued along, occasional switching grip but still keeping pace. Truthfully it was bit of trip down memory lane, walking for hours on end. He hadn't done it in years, but when he was younger, back in Canada, he would walk for half a day at a time, dragging scrap and other bits of salvage to his special home, the gutted underside of an old C-130 cargo carrier lodged about twelve feet underground. It was inconspicuous and easily defended. And the only entrance had been a small hatch that lead to a small belt. The belt would allow Thomas to move things to his 'workshop' a small cave which was sealed off from the outside world by the carries itself and debris. He reminisced about it, missing his home greatly. He didn't miss his life then, and he didn't miss the solitude, but he did miss all the gadgets he had, and it had been his first real home. Thomas continued to walk, taking the opportunity to think about a lot of things. It was a trick he used in Canada, whenever he could spare the time and energy, he fought to remember things from his life. He told nobody this, and avoided the subject of his past, but Thomas remembered only a handful of things from before he was fourteen. That was when he left his parents. Fourteen. The only things he consistently remembered was his brother Arthur, and his sister Elizabeth. And even then he just had a few memories to pick from.

The walk continued so long the sun dipped into the horizon and for the briefest of minutes glorious orange light bathed the green of the trees. Then the sun dipped and the clouds came, blotting out the moon and plunging the group in darkness. Drones silently watched the group, infrared cameras watching every person. Thomas gravitated closer to the group as the pitch black set in. It took a final hour, but Morelle turned on a light, then a series of lights around a small campground. Everyone hissed in pain as light blinded them, but many gratefully collapsed to the ground, dropping there containers and sighing. Morelle smiled knowingly at both Jack and Gabriel, who both nodded at once. The people in front of him have not lost a single person so far, but that was about to change. There was always a few quitters on navigation. And when he announced the newest challenge, Morelle smiled as people groaned and whined in protest, only to be reminded of the alternatives and wisely stop complaining. Each person was given a basic map with no key. They had to find five landmarks in five hours, and orientate themselves, and they cannot rest. Also, no one was allowed to talk or tell points. Morelle would give it twenty minutes and would deploy his soldiers in infrared gear to find slackers and try to get rule breakers.

The first rule breaker was found not thirty minutes into the challenge. One of the French men was asleep in a tree. Morelle climbed up and spoke to him.

"Hey man, I won't tell if you won't. You can get another hour of sleep, then you cover for me. Deal?" The man mumbled a response, turning away from Morelle. Morelle smiled widely.

"Okay. Hey, my names Morelle, what's yours?" The man spoke sleepily.

"My name is za-ahahahah! Morelle!" The man jumped, rolling out of the tree. Two soldiers caught him, quickly righting him onto his feet and slapping cuffs on him.

"Wait, it was just a mistake!" And like that he was dragged away. He would be taken back to his home country and put in jail for whatever sentence he was given, but he would not be executed at least. Morelle was somewhat saddened. The man hadn't complained once during the course of training and Morelle wished he had made it.

'Oh well.' He thought. 'Onto the next one.'

And over the course of the next three hours he busted seven more sleepers and two chatterboxes. The test would be over soon, and Morelle happily spotted his next victim. As he approached he recognized the skinny boy as Thomas Byron. Thomas had done exceptionally well for his first day. All respect and yes sir how high. Just how Morelle loved his recruits. Plus the trick with the basket was a first for the Drill Sergeant, and while he said nothing he understood why both the commanders were so adamant on the boy's inclusion to the program. And why they kept such a close eye on him. A very close eye, Morelle had noticed. He approached the boy, and tried to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, did you get any markers yet? I got two. I'll trade you." Thomas looked at Morelle, not recognizing the man's higher voice or his face in the dark. The boy looked for a moment, then looked at his map and set off in his orignal direction. Morelle kept pace.

"Hey, asshole. Got any markers?"

"Shhh!" He whispered aggressively. Morelle smirked in the darkness, leaving the boy to pass and began to search for his next victim once again.

A flare shot up into the brightening night sky, illuminating the forest briefly in orange light. It signaled everyone to return to camp, and return they did. No one tried to escape, and over the course of the night ten people had been taken away from the training, almost half the class. Morelle claimed each person's map, checking for the landmarks. Only two had completed the map, one of which was Thomas. Morelle took the map. It was clean and neat.

"Excellent work." Thomas nodded briefly and went to the next area with the other soldiers. Inside though he was smiling. Thomas was ecstatic. He was making an excellent impression to Morelle. And to Jack and Gabriel, hopefully.

Once he collected all the people and there maps Morelle ordered everyone into a sleeping bag. They slept at this camp tonight. No food, only water. Despite the grumbling of people and stomachs alike everyone was asleep in minutes after laying on a particularly dryish patch of land.

Three days later.

Ten people remained. After the first day's intense marching Morelle let the rejects sleep for six hours, before rousing them. He made them clean the sleeping bags, take a handful of cereal and granola bars and run back to the ten mile point. They had to run in three hours what had taken twelve to walk. One soldier had collapsed, stating he preferred prison to this. She had been happily obliged. The second one, another woman, slipped and broke her arm trying to hide from them by climbing a tree. She had been taken away, kicking and screaming. Now the remaining ten people, after two whole days of no one dropping out, were doing an intense obstacle course. This was of course after two hours of literally rolling around in the mud, lifting a log over there heads fifty times so it rested on one shoulder on to the other shoulder. The obstacle course started with a fifteen foot rope ladder you had to climb. Once you climbed it you sprinted across the wet wooden bridge, which was connected by only three stakes into the also wooden platforms. This made the bridge pitch and curve under foot, and if two people went at once both were likely to tumble into the muddy slush below. It didn't help that it was pouring rain either. The next segment was monkey bars, fifty of them, also wet. The a platform you had to walk on once off them was like a tightrope, and it went directly over a pool of freezing cold and muddy water. Once you did that you hit a pole you had to jump on and slide down like a fire man. Then you had a stone wall with a single rope you had to climb up, then down. After that you had a two hundred meter dash to a pole in the ground, run back to the second part. The second part consisted of a steep metal incline that led to a pole you had to walk across, also like a tightrope. Only then did you reach the end, a twenty meter crawl on muddy land under barbed wire with less than a foot between the ground and the wire. Once done, you went to Morelle, who judged if you were fast enough or good enough.

This was Thomas's second time doing the course, and he had only been so tired a few times in his life, even in Talon. He had accepted almost no food at 'breakfast.' And it had been hard, with an array of biscuits and meats arranged before the people. Of course he was right to refuse though. Two people were currently puking their guts out away from the course, combination of exhaustion, intense training and full stomachs making them horribly sick. Thomas had accepted a few biscuits and some eggs, and even those bland foods fought to free themselves from the confines of Thomas's innards. Unfortunately things got worse as Thomas began to run across the first wooden bridge. As he ran Marcus, a man who Thomas had yet to talk to, ran as well. There was no explicit rule against it, but it was unspoken that if you went two at a time both of you wipe out. Well Marcus didn't, because as he ran to avoid falling off he pushed Thomas. Thomas, being much smaller than Marcus and on unsteady ground went straight of the platform into the mud.

But when Thomas was pushed off he slipped and smacked his head against to bridge, hitting it hard. He fell like a rock into the mud, briefly falling unconscious. He awoke when he hit the mud. He jumped up, entire front of his body covered in mud and head spinning and tried to run to the starting ladder. As soon as Thomas took a step though he pitched forward again, falling onto the dirt and vomiting the small amount of solid food he had ingested. No one moved to help. To everyone Thomas was another criminal. head injury or no if he didn't get up then he failed. Of course Jack and Gabriel wouldn't let him go to prison. Jack had yet to tell the young man, but technically, since they already signed a contract, Thomas wasn't required to participate in these events. Seeing the young man vomiting though confirmed several things to Jack and Gabe alike. First, they without a doubt felt something more than just companionship for him. Both had seen proper Overwatch recruits receive worse injuries, but rarely had they been tempted to rush forward and aid the person during training. Second, with a brief glance towards each other they confirmed they both felt the same way. Jack thought back to Jesse, and how the then young man Jesse, Jack and Gabriel had enjoyed a relationship.

'What happened?' Thought Jack. They had never really broken up. Jack would need to ask Jesse what had happened. He knew Jesse had had boyfriends before Thomas and after Jack and Gabriel, but it hadn't occurred to him to ask what had caused the drift the trio experienced. Focusing back in on the current events Jack smiled. Despite clearing being sick and injured he climbed, albeit slowly, up the ladder and resumed training.

Later that day.

Thomas lay on the cot, exhaustion not even close to how he felt. His head pounded, and he had already been examined by medics. It occurred to him, that despite killing people. Despite fighting for survival. Despite everything that happened in Talon, it had been a long time since people treated him like a criminal. More so, Thomas felt homesick. He wanted to feel Jesse's arms wrapped around him, and fall asleep as Jesse kissed the back of his head. He missed the way Angela would talk to him as she fixed him up after a mission, and even though she was strict and sometimes bossy, she was still nicer to him than most people ever were. He missed having tea with Ana, and enjoying lunch with is... friends. He missed working with Torbjorn on new devices, and Amelie's 'parkour' lessons. He missed playing chess and learning German with Reinhardt, and he even missed arguing with Satya. He missed training with Jack and Gabe. Well, technically he was training with then, but he enjoyed training in a less exhaustive way. HE had been gone... how long? Three days? Four?

'Yeah, four. I think.' He thought to himself. Thinking hurt though. Thomas knew he should be in the meal hall, but the people were given a choice, food or sleep. Thomas personally felt that if he had trouble telling which direction was up and down, his food would never settle properly. He was the only one who thought so though, so for now the entire barracks was to him alone.

It wasn't until several hours later that Thomas awoke. His head pounded, but a more pressing issue in the form of bladder control came to mind. He needed to pee, badly. Thomas got up quietly, knowing that anyone who cared knew the moment he woke up he was awake. As Thomas stepped out of the building, he made his way down the small path to the latrines. It was the only path the criminals could take. As he walked there, Christof smiled.

'This is perfect.' She thought to herself. She got up, quickly going to Marcus's sleeping form and rousing him. Thomas had been outdoing most of the people there ever since the damned camp started, and now, a head injury, all alone in the middle of the night. Accidents, so many accidents her eyes positively danced with glee at the thought of getting rid of the kiss up. Plus, being rejected was not something she handled well. Both her and Marcus approached the latrines, talking casually. They didn't know if there were guards watching the trails, but she figured some sort of security kept them from fleeing her and now. Christof follow Marcus into the men's room, and when the door opened it revealed Thomas, bent over the sink and washing his hands. He seemed not to notice them, and the two stepped forward.

Gabriel was washing his own hands. The officers bathroom was separate from the soldiers and the convict bathroom. As Gabriel finished washing his hands he heard an irregular banging sound. Gabriel smiled when he heard it coming from the convict bathroom. As he left he thought to himself.

'Some people just can't keep it in there pants.' He was about to bust two more convicts. When he opened the door to the men's room he was shocked by the scene he saw. Christof lay on the ground, back to the wall and nose black with blood flowing out of it. The mirror behind and above her was smashed to pieces, little specks of blood on the sink and glass. Gabriel rushed forward, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Marcus, one hand on Thomas's head and the other on his shoulder, pushing Thomas head towards the toilet. Thomas fought it but was losing. Gabriel rushed forward, grabbing the man and yanking him backwards off of Thomas. Gabriel pushed a button on his wrist's comlink, summoning guards. With that he made sure Marcus was out cold, which he was, and stepped forward to help Thomas. Gabriel took Thomas's arm, hoisting him up off the disgusting floor. Thomas sagged in his grip, and Gabriel carefully helped him lean against the stalls wall. Thomas looked exhausted and he slid down the wall until Gabriel steadied him.

Thomas tried to focus his vision, but his head pounded and his ears rang. His knees wobbled together and his arms were limp. Finally he focused his vision and saw Gabriel looking at him. He wasn't angry. He looked frightened, and his mouth moved. It took some effort to keep his eyes focused and hear Gabriel, but his brain made the connection. Gabriel was speaking softly, softer than he had ever spoken to anyone as far as Thomas knew.

"Come kid. Blink for me. Do something, please." He sounded like he was begging, and he took Thomas's chin in his hand. He was incredibly gentle, and his hands felt deceptively soft.

"Thomas, look at me." Thomas blinked slowly and opened his mouth.

"M'okay." Relief spread through Gabriel at the words. Gabriel leaned forward and hugged Thomas, pulling the boy closer. Thomas sagged into the hug and let his head fall onto Gabriel's shoulder.

Thomas's vision was flicking on and off, blacking out and coming back into focus, and it took him a moment to realize he wasn't going blind, he was just blinking. He felt intensely warm, and safe. His shoulder itched as Gabriel's beard scratched it. Gabriel held the hug with the young man, and Thomas let him, letting Gabriel support his body, letting himself be held. Thomas smelled hints of cologne on Gabriel, and various thoughts awoke within him. Gabriel just held the boy until he heard footsteps outside, a lot of them. Gabriel pulled himself away from Thomas, noticing a small dissatisfied sound from the now totally out of it man. Gabriel took the boy and slung his arm around and under Thomas's shoulder. Four soldiers burst into the room, pistols drawn and spreading out to clear the room. no one so much as hesitated on Gabe, but one person trained there weapon on Thomas, Christof and Marcus respectively. The final soldier who wasn't aiming at a person ran past Gabe and patted down Marcus and Christof. When she finished she rose up and walked to Gabriel, gesturing for two of her soldiers to detain the incapacitated criminals.

"Sir." She asked, her voice deep and commanding."Do you know what happened here?" She pulled out a small device which Gabriel recognized as a pocket recorder. "Speak into the microphone please."

"I heard banging and when I came to investigate I found Christof in her current predicament and Marcus attempting to slam Thomas into a toilet. I pulled Marcus off of Thomas, where he slipped and fell." The woman nodded, turning off the recorder and returning it to its pouch. She pointed at one of her men.

"Follow the commander to the infirmary just in case this one wakes up." She said, pointing to Thomas. The other nodded, falling in behind Gabriel. Gabriel just started walking, reminding himself that they didn't know Thomas had been in Blackwatch for over two months now.

One day later.

"Well sirs, it is highly unorthodox. It will raise questions."

"Well Thomas is already a part of Blackwatch, we will be removing him from the course due to the complications of the previous night. We will simply be taking him with us instead of putting him in the normal vehicles." Morelle nodded.

"Sirs, permission to speak freely. My version of freely." Jack glanced at Gabriel but said yes.

"I notice how you look at him. This whole excursion you've been interested in one person. Thomas Byron. You've put some favoritism, given him a slight few advantages, and every time he succeeded at something you looked happy to see it. I don't know what, but I can tell you've got some higher investment. Now the last time I saw you act this way was with Jesse Mccree, and he turned into one of the best soldiers we ever had. Whatever you did to or with him, I suggest you do the same with the boy." Jack remained silent in his seat, but Gabriel spoke.

"What would happen if we left him with you longer. Say have him go with you to the regular recruits?"

"He's exemplary as it is, but I see the way he talks to the other recruits, I see the fire in his eyes. I would turn him into an excellent soldier, but you don't want that. You don't want me to rewrite him into a grunt. You just wanted to push him. In fact, I daresay that even if he hadn't been injured we'd still be having this conversation." Gabriel and Jack both smiled. They both rose from there seats and shook Morelle's hand.

"Astute as always Morelle. Keep up the good work." Morelle smiled.

"Same to you commander."

Later that day.

Thomas fell into consciousness. Not drifted, or slowly awoke, he was asleep, then he was wide awake. Or at least mostly awake. Thomas blinked his eyes, everything heavy. He felt like going back to sleep. Like falling back out of consciousness. But Thomas was aware he was not in the uncomfortable cot. He was in a seat, and a soft blanket was draped over him. He fought to keep his eyes open he realized he was in a car, on a highway, with dozens of other cars around him. Thomas sat his head up, feeling flowing freely into him once again. Thomas breath caught in his throat and he felt a panic stir within him.

"Whoa kid. It's okay." Thomas felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped, his brain not recognizing the voice. It was Jack, staring at Thomas with wide, concerned blue eyes. Gabriel was in the front seat, looking into the rear view mirror. Thomas looked around, taking in his surroundings when a temporarily forgotten ache in both his bones and his head returned. Thomas went limp in the seat, letting his head rest on the soft padding of the seats head rest. He sagged in the seat and heard a quiet sigh leave his lips. Everything hurt, and Thomas just wanted to sleep again. Before he could he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Thomas opened his eyes again. Jack was shaking his shoulder.

"Thomas, stay with us a minute." Thomas groaned and tried to sit up but his muscle refused, laying limp and refusing to work. Jack took Thomas's hand and placed a cold container in it. It was a cup, large and plastic with a plastic lid and straw in it's center.

"Drink." Thomas heard an edge in his voice, a stern command. He wasn't asking Thomas. As soon as Thomas sipped from it he relaxed again. It tasted amazing, like dozens of the best sweets and desserts he'd ever had.

Jack glanced at Thomas every minute. A blanket was tucked over him, and he looked relaxed. He was limp in the seat, drinking the drink contentedly with his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips. After what felt like no time at all the drink ran out and Thomas let his arm fall to his side. He opened his eyes again, and Jack saw he looked more refreshed. Thomas looked at the drink and at Jack.

"Feel better?" Thomas nodded slowly. He really did.

"Where..." His mouth felt heavy, almost numb, but the feeling was slowly going away.

"We're going back to base."

"But... camp." Thomas put his hand to his head. It hurt a lot.

"Don't worry. We were never going to put you in jail." Said Gabriel. "You signed that contract. Even if you actually failed we couldn't." Thomas blinked, removing his hand from his forehead. The world seemed blurrier again. Whatever was in that drink was helping immensely, but it didn't seem to be enough.

"What happened?" It felt incredibly satisfying to speak a full sentence, even if it was short.

"What do you remember?" Asked Jack.

"Marcus. He pushed me off the bridge. And... I vomited. Then being tired." He had to rest in between sentences.

"Do you remember the bathroom?"

"Bathroom?" Gabe shook his head. He wasn't surprised Thomas was fuzzy headed.

"You got ambushed by a few... dissatisfied people. You got banged up a little. But you still messed Christof up, I mean her nose was-" Jack shot Gabriel a sharp look. He fell silent, realizing it probably was a bad time to go over the details. jack cleared his throat.

"Anyway, we're proud of you Thomas. You did well." Thomas grinned and tried to adjust his position in the seat, failing to move himself. Before Thomas could fall back asleep though, Jack was curious about something.

"Hey kid. What did that taste like to you?" Thomas looked at Jack, confused, but answered quietly.

"It tasted... familiar. Like, these cherry and chocolate candies Amelie used to share with me. And... like fruit. Fruit smoothies that Arthur would make for us. And... the peanut butter cookies Cherryl would make whenever I fixed the generators." Thomas let his head fall on Jack's shoulder, not paying attention to his surroundings. He hadn't thought about when he was younger in a long time. During Talon he was so focused on the now, he just... didn't think about it. Now he couldn't stop. He remembered things more clearly now. The clearest he had in a long time, which was somewhat ironic.

Jack wanted to ask who Cherryl was, but he didn't want to push Thomas. He looked down at Thomas and realized that he was already fast asleep on Jack's right shoulder. Gabe looked in the mirror and saw that Thomas looked peaceful again. Gabe smiled and asked Jack.

"Think he'll be okay?" Jack looked again at the sleeping young man and smiled.

"He's tough. He's just tired." Gabe nodded.

"You know we need to have that conversation eventually. Remember what happened with Jesse-"

"I remember Gabriel." Jack snapped. Thomas stirred slightly, but settled back down quickly. "We will. But we need to talk to Jesse first, and then figure out a plan." Gabriel nodded and returned his attention to the rode.

"I'll follow your lead on this one."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties on the timeline. It's all fucked so whatever I guess. Enjoy.

Only the security knew Thomas was back at first. No one on security cared either, so he slipped through the base, grabbed a shower and a fresh set of clothes as soon as he returned. Once he felt clean again Thomas made his way to Jesse's room, only to be disappointed by the cowboy's absence. Thomas didn't mean to fall asleep, he just sat on the edge of the bed and lay back, and was out.

Jesse was pleasantly surprised when he returned to his room. He entered, turned on the lights, and smiled at Thomas's sleeping body. He lay somewhat awkwardly on the bed, his feet and legs off the edge of it. Because his head drooped backwards he snored quietly. Jesse wasn't surprised that Thomas was back earlier than expected, but he was still happy to see his darlin again. He looked skinnier and even though he slept soundly the faintest edges of worry crept into his face. Jesse considered waking him playfully, but if he was as exhausted as Jesse suspected then it probably wasn't a good idea.

'Next time.' He decided, and after kicking off his outer clothing Jesse carefully gathered Thomas up into his arms. The young man stirred in his grip and one eye blinked open. He smiled tiredly up at Jesse.

"Hey Jesse. Sorry... I fell asleep." Jesse smiled and lay down on the bed, holding Thomas closely and laying down on the bed properly. Thomas pushed his forehead against Jesse's chest and was asleep like that. Jesse took a blanket and draped it over the both of them and kissed the top of Thomas's head.

When Jesse awoke the next morning he smiled down at Thomas. He considered letting him sleep more, but ultimately decided against it. There'd be time for sleep after. Jesse carefully unwove himself from Thomas, placing the mans arms on the now empty part of the bed. Jesse slowly scooted down, laying still whenever Thomas stirred. Finally Jesse reached the end of the bed and smiled. He noticed the bulge in Thomas's pants and began carefully working off Thomas pants. It took him longer to not wake Thomas, but he managed to work off both his pants and his boxers. Jesse grinned and took Thomas's cock in his mouth, and watched Thomas stir. He fists clenched and his eyes twitched but Thomas remained asleep.

Now Jesse decided to see how long he could go without waking Thomas. He lowered his mouth all the way down Thomas's length, taking him to the base without difficulty. Thomas twitched again. Jesse began slowly running his tongue around Thomas's shaft, focusing on the head and crown of his cock. Jesse raised his mouth higher and wrapped his lips and tongue around the crown of Thomas's cock. His hips bucked forward and he moaned sleepily.

"Jesseee." He whispered sleepily. Jesse couldn't tell if he was awake or not, but he was enjoying himself. Jesse sucked hard on the tip of Thomas's cock and watched as Thomas eyes fluttered open. He opened his mouth, but closed it again and let his head fall back as he bucked his hips forward but Jesse kept his hips held down with his hands. Jesse continued his attention before he noticed Thomas was bucking his hips more frequently and erratically. Jesse took Thomas to the base again, running his tongue under his crown again and licking along his veins before he felt Thomas pulse. Jesse grinned and suck hard, running is tongue over his length until he felt Thomas buck again, a loud moan leaving him. He came into Jesse's mouth, bucking his hips erratically. Jesse smiled at Thomas's taste. It was surprisingly sweet, and Jesse got the faintest taste of unknown fruit. It made him laugh and the vibrations made Thomas groan as the earliest pricks of over stimulation gripped him.. After Thomas finished he sighed happily and Jesse removed himself from his boyfriends cock.

Jesse scooted up closer to Thomas, who was smiling happily.

"Mornin Darling. Did you like your wake up call? Better than Morelle's?" Thomas nodded his head sleepily and looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning. He let himself be pulled closer to Jesse and the two began lazily kiss each other. After a minute a loud grumbling sound rang through the room. Jesse smiled and pressed his forehead against Thomas's.

"Hungry?" Thomas's cheeks were both sporting bright blushes.

"Yeah... sorry."

"Don't be. Let's go get some food and then we can continue." Jesse took Thomas's cheek and kissed him one last time before rising up from the bed.

The cafeteria was serving french toast today, along with hash browns, eggs and bacon. Numerous people sat at a large table which looked like two table had been pushed together. Olivia waved Thomas and Jesse over to the table, and each sat down at the end. At the table was Jack, Olivia, Lena, Amelie, Angela, Fareeha, Zarya, Lucio, Mei and five people Thomas did not recognize.

The first was a large Russian looking man, his face was marred by scars but he had large soft eyes. The second was extremely lanky and while he was larger than Thomas it was only marginally so. He spoke in a thick German accent and his face was similarly marred by scars. He had a pointed nose and wireframe glasses on, and while he looked more menacing than his partner he was talking with Angela and telling jokes. The third was a Hispanic man, he looked central American. The entire left side of his face was twisted by a single large burn scar and he was missing his left ear. He had hard eyes and a strong chin with a twisted nose. He was arm in arm with Mei and the two were talking happily.

Next was a large man, built like Gabriel with a helmet that obscured his vision by resting on his nose. Finally was a black man with one eye and a synthetic arm. He had numerous scars as well, but he talked happily with Jack and Fareeha. Thomas sat down next to Olivia and the scrawny man with the wire glasses immediately spoke to him.

"Ahh, you must be the infamous Thomas Byron, I've heard much about you." He was creepy. He spoke in a thick German accent, and he looked at Thomas over his glasses, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Um... yes. And you are?" The man beamed and extended a hand. Thomas shook it briefly.

"Doctor, Josef Heilberg. A pleasure. I've heard so much about you from the others, but Angela refuses to share any details with me, tell me d- augh." The large man next to him took him by the collar and pulled him back into his seat. He then spoke in a deep voice with a thick accent.

"Doctor, you are scaring tiny man." He then turned to Thomas. "Do not mind doctor, he is harmless so long as he likes you." He looked at Zarya. "This is tiny man you speak of? Ha! Make muscle." Thomas looked at Zarya, even more confused.

"Wha-"

"Make muscle! Zarya tells me about new recruit she is specially training. Says she likes his progress. Make muscle, and I decide if she is truthful." Thomas didn't speak but made a muscle with his arm. Heavy smiled and laughed boisterously.

"HA! Tiny muscle! But on tiny man, not so tiny. Zarya is still loudmouth though, like her father." Both Zarya and the helmeted man responded indignantly. Thomas noticed the scarred Hispanic man was staring at him. Thomas matched the stare, raising his eyebrow inquisitively.

"Don't mind him." Said Mei. She and Thomas enjoyed talking to each other over hot chocolate, talking about recent scientific discoveries. She took the mans arm and got his attention.

"Manny, your staring." The man blinked his right eye, just his right eye.

"Sorry. I was looking at your scars. They say a lot about a man. Those are jagged, they are from combat." His voice was deep yet quiet, and it warbled slightly, as if he was speaking through something. What he said was not a question either.

"Yes." Thomas ran a hand over the right side of his face, feeling the several scars on it. One ran along his chin line and several other small ones lay on his cheek, in front of his ear, by his eye. Thomas suddenly felt incredibly self conscious about the scars, but was careful not to let it show. He let his hand fall and began eating his food, pushing past any embarrassment he felt over his deformities. Something about the men troubled Thomas, a sense of familiarity that made him want to look up there names and faces. He indulged an old habit and hunched over, wrapping arm around his food and began eating in earnest. He probably looked strange, but everything suddenly felt off. Thomas realized he didn't quite have it in him to look up, but he felt like a thousand eyes were on him.

Dread filled him, a cold creeping presence and Thomas forced his head up, looking first around the table and then around the cafeteria. No one was even glancing at him. He suddenly felt very sick and looked down at his food. It was normal, just french toast on one side, drowned in what could only be an unhealthy amount of syrup and two eggs on the other side. The syrup was partially on the eggs, and briefly Thomas wondered whether that was the cause of his illness.

'No, the food wouldn't do that. Thomas had eaten a lot of extremely questionable things to stay alive, including animal organs raw. He wasn't proud of it. He'd had food poisoning before and knew it wasn't that. He felt incredibly sick though, and he put his fork down, wrapping his now freed right arm around his stomach.

"You okay kid?" The voice changed in pitch, and Thomas suddenly knew what was happening. He'd pushed himself to far, and the price was rushing at him. Another voice spoke, though he could no longer identify the source of it.

"He looks like he's going to be sick." Thomas heard blood rushing in his ears and he felt his hands shaking.

"Je suis" (I am) Was all Thomas could get out before he pushed himself away from the table, knocking his fork onto the floor and ran as fast as he could to the bathrooms connected to the cafeteria. He stumbled and the room swayed but he reached the bathroom, pushing into the first open stall and letting himself collapse on the toilet seat. It was nearly immaculate and Thomas made a mental note to be grateful for that. He held his breath, hoping to steady himself but it failed as always. He vomited into the toilet, gagging and choking loudly. He felt tears stream down his cheeks, hot trails of salty liquid that ran down his chin into the toilet. He gasped for breathe in between and stared down at the mess that had recently been solid food. He whimpered quietly as pain surged through him and pitched forward, violently expulsing what felt like his organs.

A large and firm hand appeared on his back and he twitched, a small whimper escaping him. He realized absentmindedly that the hand was to large to be Jesse's. He heaved and sobbed quietly, his stomach still wanting to empty itself. Vague sounds emanated from behind him, but Thomas could only hear the sound of his own heart beating at a thousands kilometer per hour. After several minutes Thomas felt his body decide to stop eviscerating itself. He felt exhausted and his head tipped forward, caught by a hand that snaked out and secured him. The hand felt incredibly warm and Thomas pressed himself against it with his remaining energy. It felt so warm he just wanted to be surrounded by it and sleep. He heard a second voice, a lighter and soft one and Thomas tried to speak. Another whimper was all that came out. Thomas shuddered and coughed. His throat felt painfully dry and an ancient part of his brain, the part he relied on when he needed to survive said water was in the toilet. Thomas shook his head, banishing the disgusting thought as soon as it arrived.

After letting Thomas rest on his hands Jack carefully pulled the man closer, away from the toilet. Angela and Jesse both stood in the doorway, respectfully distant but still looking worriedly at the two. Jack hadn't even realized at first that he had beat Jesse to the bathroom as soon as Thomas had entered. Jack felt responsible for this, assuming that the alteration of diet and change in environment were to blame. He wasn't totally wrong. When Thomas finished vomiting into the toilet and went limp in Jack's arms Jack carefully him away from the toilet and flushed it. Angela stepped forward, taking a napkin and wiping away the tears from Thomas's face. His face was pale and Angela could feel he was burning up through the napkin. Thomas was mumbling something, but nothing was coherent.

"Purge. Noon. Shaka?" More bits of meaningless words and sentence fragments. His head lay back against Jack's shoulder. When Jack tried to sit up Thomas keened over in pain, curling in on himself and crying out. Beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead.

"Stay..." He focused his vision on Angela. "Please." Thomas didn't want to go back out. His eyes were red and his skin was pale. It would be humiliating to be carried out, even by Jesse. Breakfast would be over soon. Jack could send everyone away. All of Thomas's senses were in overdrive and it felt like his cells destroyed themselves and rebuilt the rubble. He could smell food and from the cafeteria and the smell all the smells bathrooms contain. He could hear people talking and it hurt his head. He pressed against Jack, trying vainly to escape the pain. Thomas knew exactly what was happening now. He would have to explain to them later, but for now he just let Jack hold him. Thomas would have preferred Jesse holding him, but he wasn't picky. Plus Jack was like a furnace, projecting heat and security onto Thomas. Jack carefully maneuvered Thomas off the floor and onto him while Angela stood up and returned to the table.

When she returned she was the new center of attention. No one asked questions, but everyone looked expectantly at her. When she sat back down Zarya broke the silence.

"Well? Is Thomas okay?"

"He is... very sick. I do not know enough at the moment to say any more." Josef's eyes gleamed behind his glasses.

"You know I could give a diagnosis, take a blood sample, mayb-" Angela cut him off with a stern glare and spoke.

"Josef, Thomas is my patient. I will treat him and only I. You are not to take samples, or harm him in any ways. If you do I will test my experiments on you." Josef smiled but Angela did not, showing a deadly seriousness. Ultimately Josef nodded and swore that he would not touch the boy. Not totally satisfied Angela accepted his promise. Luckily it did not take long for the cafeteria to empty out. A surprise exercise meeting for all non-essential was called, to 'update the people on the current events throughout Overwatch and update on current objectives' was announced. As people filed out of the cafeteria Angela smiled, having a sneaking suspension as to the reason a surprise meeting was called, and why she was certain that Jack would be absent.

Jack had tried to help Thomas walk along, but the young man keeled over after the first step. Jesse comforted him and Jack scooped him up in his arms effortlessly. Thomas insisted on going to his room, not the med bay and when Jack tried to suggest that the med bay was better Thomas had begged him not to. So they arrived at Thomas's room without incident, avoiding most of the now cleared hallways. Jack texted Gabriel to end the meeting whenever he felt as they had handled it. Once at Thomas's room Jesse opened the door and Jack was surprised how it had changed.

The room had been cleaned and reorganized, a few new bits of furniture added as well. Books and personal effects lay on the shelf and desk. A few posters even adorned his walls, two star wars posters. Jack put Thomas on his bed and Jesse sat next to him. Thomas was asleep before Jesse could even scoot closer to him. Jesse smiled and then looked up at Jack.

"So. I feel like you have something to tell me, and Thomas." Jack felt a sudden and intense sense of embarrassment. And the words he wanted to speak were no longer present.

"Do you really think I didn't know? I can think of only one other time you've acted like this to anyone."

"Acted like this?" Jack sounded like a clueless idiot, and Jesse shook his head.

"You know exactly what I mean. Who else do you let back talk you? Who else gets to joke around, eat food with, and insult Jack Morrison with little punishment. Before I say anything more, what made you, and I can only assume Gabriel, want to be with him?" Jack opened and closed his mouth.

"The Portugal mission. Thomas... took the failure personally. He's young, but he showed he was not so immature as I'd thought. He reminds me of you." Jesse smiled.

"Why did we ever stop? You remember our nights together. You, me, Gabriel or some combination."

"I don't know." Jesse shook his head.

"Really?" Jack sighed.

"We... became busy. Overwatch grew, we needed to spend more time away. I spent more nights as the new strike commander, Gabriel went on more missions. You asked if it would be okay if you went out with that other man, since we didn't do anything anymore. I made a mistake. I said yes. I shouldn't have. I should have said no, reminded you we loved you. That... we still love you." Jesse smiled.

"So, say I still feel the same." He looked down at Thomas, who's face was cleared of pain, his body pressed against Jesse's and buried in blankets and pillows. "Say Thomas feels the same way. What would you do?" Jack shook his head and sat down carefully on the bed.

"I'm done with grand plans. We can't promise anything, that we'll live, that it'll work out, that we will never again be too busy."

"I don't want that. There no point. What I want, is that if you can't be there anymore you'll tell me, tell us. So you don't drag us along." Jack smiled.

"I promise." And he leaned in, as if to kiss Jesse, but was stopped by a single finger on his lips. Jack opened his eyes, confused.

"I'm with Thomas. I happen to know, because he's told me, that he has a crush on both you and Jack. And i think you knew, but now you know. If you can win him over, you get me as well. A prize, sort to speak. But if he says no, that is my answer as well. Now, not to be rude but I think you should leave for now. When the meeting ends send Angela here please." Jack blinked, processing the new information and nodded, rising from the bed. He left curtly, feeling out of his element, and decided to head down to the gym to clear his head.

When Jack left Jesse smiled and lay down, pulling the blankets over himself and Thomas and pulling Thomas closer to him, wrapping his large arms around Thomas's back and planted a kiss on his forehead. Thomas's eyes fluttered open and Jesse felt his heart break a little. Pain clouded his eyes usually bright green eyes and Jesse kissed Thomas on the head again.

"Hey darlin? What's happening?" Thomas opened his mouth, but before he could speak he gasped in pain and cried out. Jesse pulled him closer, intertwining their legs together and pulling him close. Thomas buried his face into Jesse's shirt and Jesse held him while planting kisses in his hair and whispering encouragement to him. After a few minutes Thomas just pressed his head against Jesse's chest and fell asleep just like that. Jesse held him tightly and adjusted the blankets to swaddle him in them. 

He held him like that for twenty minutes until he heard the door open. Jesse raised his head and looked at a concerned Angela. She had a small suitcase looking container with a large red cross on it. She stepped forward and turned on the light. Thomas was fast asleep against Jesse's chest and was completely covered by his two blankets. Jesse carefully uncovered his head and one of his arms, allowing Angela to take a sample of blood.

"You should have taken him to the med bay, no matter what he said. If something happens here it could be the difference of life and death."

"You didn't here him. Every sound made him wince in pain. He begged Jack to take him here. Besides Angela, every time he's sick isn't cause to rush him off to the E.R." Angela shot him a look, but her face softened in understanding.

"I suppose so. But with his... unique traits I always worry that something will kill him unexpectedly."

"He appreciates it. He says you're the best doctor he's ever had." Angela smiled and carefully set the now full syringe in the case, surrounded by fluffy padding. Thomas shifted and pressed his face against Jesse's arm, groaning quietly. Angela smiled.

"He likes you a lot as well. I don't know what you did to, but you've won him over completely." Her expression changed to a more serious one. "Do not hurt him." And she left with her sample to analyze it. Jesse smiled and let his head lay back more, slowly following Thomas into sleep.

Six hours later.

Thomas awoke in his room, Jesse sleeping soundly next to him. Thomas was fully clothed, and as he sat up he winced and cradled his head. He remembered his being sick and got up, immediately steadying himself against the desk. He felt dizzy and nauseous, a steady pressure pushing on his skull. He stumbled into the bathroom, using the tabletop to again steady himself. He looked in the mirror and examined his condition. His eyes looked bloodshot, lines of dark red contrasting the green in vibrant hues. His face was incredibly pale and he shook uncontrollably. His tongue felt dry and Thomas turned on the faucet, cupping his hands and tried to drink. He shook so badly most of the water sloshed out of his hands. Thomas sighed and tried to lower himself down, but he couldn't get an angle that would let him drink. The distance from the faucet to the basin was to short and Thomas couldn't focus.

While Thomas fought to control his breathing and to not shake his hands, so he did not notice Jesse wake up, nor did he notice the bed creaking. The door swung open and Thomas looked up, seeing a concerned Jesse. Thomas smiled weakly at him.

"Hey Jesse." Jesse stepped forward. Thomas looked horrible and worry sprouted in Jesse. He stepped forward and cupped Thomas's face, scanning for any signs of infection. When he saw no red lines on his cheek he shook his head.

"Angela was right, you need to see her now." Thomas tried to protest but Jesse shot him a look that said he shouldn't bother. Thomas sighed and stepped forward, wincing in pain. Jesse's hands lashed out and took Thomas's shoulders, guiding him forward.

"We're going, now."

Angela was not surprised to find Jesse had dragged Thomas, not exaggerating, to her office. As soon as he entered Angela immediately kicked herself for not doing more. Thomas looked dangerously pale, and when Angela began recording symptoms she noticed he was dangerously dehydrated.

"So, what is it?" Angela Looked at Jesse, an unspoken request for him to be silent. Thomas couldn't speak, his tongue was swollen and sweat dripped down his face. The most confusing thing was he had no fever. His temperature sat at its normal point. Angela decided to ask him some questions, handing him a clipboard, paper and pencil.

"Thomas? I need you to write down your symptoms on here." Thomas started nodding, but winced at the movement. He began writing, and Angela noticed his hands were shaking. After about two minutes he sighed and gave her the clipboards. His handwriting was now scratchy from his shaking hands. Random lines darted about, skewering words and obscuring some other words. Ultimately it read something like this: Sore throat, swollen tongue, aches, pains, pain in the front of his head and eyes, vomiting, nausea and a half dozen other symptoms, three of which were illegible on the paper.

Angela took the paper and analyzed several reading, checking on the blood she had taken earlier. It was normal, for him at least. Some hormonal changes, but nothing shocking for an eighteen year old male. The cells seemed more active, but again she detected nothing assaulting the cells. No virus's or anything abnormal.

While Angela was examining Thomas's blood sample, which he didn't remember giving, he tugged on Jesse shirt like a small child. He looked at him and Thomas pointed at the clipboard. Jesse took it and upon handing it to Thomas Thomas began writing on the paper. He wrote: Don't worry about finding it. 'This happens every few months. 5-8 usually, and especially after I push myself to far. There is no rhyme or reason Talon could find, and after four years I've accepted it. This has happened 14 times before, and will go away in about a day.'

Satisfied his words were mostly legible he handed it to Jesse and gestured at Angela. When Angela took the clipboard and read it, rather than making her stop worrying as Thomas had hoped her eyebrows furrowed and she looked greatly more concerned.

"This has happened fourteen times?! Well, do the symptoms remain the same?" Questions filled her mind and Angela felt herself getting a headache. If his body became self destructive just because of exertion she couldn't in good mind clear him for missions anymore. But if this has happened as often as Thomas claimed than it was clear he could heal from this without great issue. With a sigh Angela set aside the clipboard and reexamined Thomas. After this she took a few different pills bottles and after a brief examinations separated a set amount and handed them to Thomas. 

"Take these twice a day for the next three days. Rest, no exercise or anything strenuous." She glanced at Jesse who grinned. "Once you feel well enough come to me, I want to talk more about this seemingly recurring... illness." Thomas nodded and got off the medical bed, immediately leaning against the bed as a fresh wave of nausea claimed him. Both Jesse and Angela stepped forward and helped him steady himself. Angela shook her head and at the new shade of green that was slowly claiming Thomas's face and cheeks and grabbed an additional pills bottle and adding it to Thomas's prescription.

"Take these as well." Jesse took them and nodded, taking Thomas's shoulders and leading him out of the office. Once they left Angela smiled to herself.

'They're cute together.' She thought.

Thomas fell asleep as soon as he was lain on his bed by Jesse, who had wound up mostly carrying him back to his room. When Thomas awoke again, sometime later, he found a sticky note labeled-

'Ana wanted to talk to me, back in five-ish.' Thomas sat up and smiled. Either it had passed early this time, or Angela's medicine was actually working. Thomas hoped it passed early, but as soon as he stood up his head began spinning and nausea sprouted again. Thomas fell back onto the bed and rubbed at his eyes, struggling to remember what he used to do to alleviate the pain. Knocking sounded at the door, and while to Thomas they were thundering booms in reality they were soft, barely audible to the even the visitor.

"Come in." Thomas smiled. His tongue was no longer swollen and his throat no longer burned. Speaking was painful, but no more painful than a bad sore throat. The door slid open, and a harsher artificial light fought the natural light that streamed in. Ana stood in the doorway, smiling at Thomas and holding a small wooden tray with tea cups and a kettle. Thomas laughed to himself and sat up, propping himself up on his elbows then all the way up. Ana stepped in and the door slid open behind him.

"Hello Thomas."

"Hey Ana." Thomas's voice was raspy and he coughed, trying to clear his throat. Ana set the tray on Thomas's desk, pulling a chair next to the bed and then setting the tray on the bed. As she began pouring hot tea into the small teacups she spoke.

"How are you feeling Thomas? You prepared for training and got whisked away for training I didn't even get to say goodbye. If you are up to it I'd enjoy hearing about it." Thomas smiled and accepted a cup of hot tea.

"Am I allowed to? Jack said not to." Ana beamed at him, pride swelling in her.

"I'm cleared Thomas. All council members are." Thomas briefly considered if it was still a test, but decided against it. Ana was someone he trusted wholeheartedly.

"Well, it was.... interesting." Thomas alternated between drinking the tea, talking about the weeks events, and listening to Ana talk. The more of the tea he drank, the more he forgot the aches and pains, the less talking hurt and the less he cared why he felt this way. Briefly he remembered something from a Percy Jackson book he had read, about a boy being turned into a small rodent, but dismissed the thought. Thomas doubted Ana was going to turn him into a ferret or Guinea pig even if he could. He truthfully enjoyed these meetings with Ana. Sometimes they drank tea together, and other times she invited him to lunch. Whatever they did he just enjoyed being with her.

It made Ana sad the way Thomas acted. He lavished any attention she gave him, but was always overly apologetic whenever she admonished him. He wouldn't look her in the eye and would stare at his feat, waiting until she told him to speak to say anything. She had sen that before in children, and it made her both curious but also worrisome over him. Something that did make her happy though was the way Thomas smiled at her whenever he saw her.

After continuing to talk for some time Thomas remembered something.

"Oh, Ana, that Overwatch... party, gathering fundraiser thingy." Ana chuckled.

"The Annual soiree?" She offereredThomas nodded and blinked, wincing in pain at the movement.

"Yeah, that one. It is formal. Like, suits, ties and fancy clothes."

"Yes."

"So, no costumes." Ana looked at him strangely but nodded.

"No. If you arrived in a... costume, then I'm certain Andre will strangle you. The man takes the formal events very seriously." Thomas sighed and smiled.

"Good, I don't have to go as Aragorn." Ana smiled widely.

"Wait, Aragorn? From Lord of the Rings? What happened did you lose a bet?" Thomas nodded and accepted a refill to his tea.

"Yes." Ana shook her head.

"Well, consider this a reprimand for gambling. You're not out of the proverbial woods. There are two 'events', one you are required to attend and one you are not. The formal Soiree is in four days. The... less formal event is basically a party. So you will have to get that costume." Thomas Sighed quietly.

"Don't be upset. I think you'll make a very handsome knight."

"King. Aragorn is a king. The rightful king of Gondor, because Isildur and his sons were slain by orcs in Arnor, and the line was broken. Aragorn, is the lost descendant." Ana felt her smile grow. She made a mental note that Thomas likes Lord of The Rings.

By the time Ana left fresh fatigue set in to Thomas, and though he wanted to be up and about he found himself unable to rise from the bed, and yet again he found himself asleep in the soft bed, wondering idly if the tea would turn him into a rodent.

Later.

Gabriel finished 'interrogating' another Talon operative who was unwilling to give up information. It was always satisfying to render due justice on some of the true psychopaths in Talon. Despite how it seems, very few people were actually invited into Blackwatch or Overwatch. The twenty two recruits at the boot camp were the result of two years of recruiting, usually the facility is used for regular Blackwatch recruits. The only reason people like Jesse, Junkrat, Thomas and other people are recruited, is because of some deed that calls different parts of a person into question. Junkrat had refused to sow bombs on an orphanage in Australia, and was found half dead bu Roadhog and brought to Overwatch for treatment. Jesse had refused to shoot Jack when he found him. Thomas had refused to attack Overwatch, and had been brutally electrocuted for his actions, almost to death. Usually someone in Overwatch needed to vouch for the person, keep an eye one them. In Thomas's case, both Ana and Reinhardt volunteered to keep an eye on him, and it seems to have worked well. Ana and Reinhardt worked well together and both Thomas and Olivia (Sombra) had been drawn into Overwatch and hooked in. Ana even drank tea with them, a rare honor few received.

As Gabriel thought of this he also thought of the many that had failed. Unfortunately, three out of every four Talon or criminal recruits ultimately betrayed Overwatch. They tried to steal information or defect. However, they always failed. A combinations of psychological analysis identified those most likely to try something, and complex unseen security measures always caught people before they could succeed in there attempts. It gave Gabriel major anxiety whenever he thought of all the possible security risks. But, the people who never tried to leave were some of the best that Blackwatch had. Plus the U.N. gave Overwatch a large sum of money for this impressment. It made them and the public feel good. While Gabriel thought of this, his thoughts swayed from topic to topic and he settled down into his chair. The room was barren of personal affects. He had no pictures and only two particular items he kept near him. The amount of people that entered his office, and the amount of people he didn't want to see his family. All of his pictures were in his and Jack's shared quarters, safely away from psychopaths and murderers.

Settling into the seat Gabriel pulled up a schedule and smiled. The Overwatch Soiree always brought in lots of money. People would pay thousands for the chance to shake Jack's hand or oggle at people they don't stand a chance with. People loved arm wrestling Reinhardt for some reason. There was already a large amount of accepted invites, some of them had come months in advance and others came from late bloomers. The 'late bloomers' were rich people and bureaucrats who wanted to act like they had something better to do. As Gabriel began filling out paperwork he reminded himself to find an assistant. Then, an idea formed. He had a recruit to keep an eye on and he needed an assistant. Two birds in one stone. With that thought he procrastinated his responsibilities and went to 'delegate' them, much like Jack had delegated them to Gabriel.

When he entered the cafeteria during officer's lunch he wasn't surprised to see few people arranged. Unlike general mealtime Officer mealtime was quieter and many people chose to eat in there offices so as to keep working. Plus the cafeteria seats were uncomfortable and frankly to small for the average adult, so the luxury of the cafeteria was lost on most of the residents. Thomas sat on one end of the table, a sandwich in front of him. He had picked at it, but his appetite had yet to return. Angela and Ana were also there, as well as Dr. Winston, and Winston respectively. Dr. Winston is a reasonably well built man with brown hair and glasses. He usually went by Harold. Winston himself is a fully grown Gorilla. Despite being a gorilla, he can talk and is probably better at math than anyone else on base. Except Harold. As Gabriel approached he discovered why Thomas had eaten so little. He appeared to be captivated by Winston, and the two were talking together, with Harold talking as well. When Gabriel sat next to Ana he tuned into the conversation.

"So you used Epigenetic triggers to activate dormant cerebral activities, that's easy, but how did you bypass the usual side effects and cerebral backlash that follows?" Harold and Winston were both smiling at Thomas, seemingly enjoying the boys enthusiasm. Winston responded cheerily.

"Good question young man. Well, you see..." And like that Gabriel spared his head a headache and tuned out of the conversation. Both Ana and Angela looked greatly amused.

"How long have those three been talking?" Asked Gabriel. Angela responded.

"Only about twenty minutes." After sipping her coffee Ana spoke.

"You should have seen him. I convinced Thomas to come get some food, even something light. The moment he saw Winston he grabs my arm and says, with the most excitement I've think I've ever heard him with 'Is that Doctor Harold Winston and Winston?!' It was cute. Unfortunately his food is completely forgotten, and we have only been able to get him out of the conversation for a brief moment at a time." Gabriel smiled widely.

"Let me try. Hey kid." Thomas didn't respond, listening intently to Harold speak. Gabriel tried again, to similar result. So he decided to play dirty.

"Hey kid, Jesse's here." That got him out of it. Thomas immediately snapped away, looking around for Jesse before locking onto Gabriel's amused smile. He glared daggers into Gabriel's eyes and turned back to Winston, who was greatly amused by his sudden attentiveness. Angela chuckled and Ana looked amused, but then she turned to Gabriel.

"So what do you need Gabriel? You did not get food, so I assume you aren't hungry."

"Actually I came to tell Thomas he's my new assistant." Ana's smile widened.

"Well I'm afraid you're too late Gabriel." For a moment Gabriel furrowed his brow, until understanding dawned. Ana continued smiling. "Early bird get's the worm after all." And she took a long satisfied drink out of her cup. Angela found this all greatly amusing. Gabriel shook his head.

"But you have an assistant."

"Not a good one. Mathew is... a good person." Gabriel got an idea.

"Yes, Mathew is, he's smart and..." Truthfully Gabriel never payed the man much attention. The only thing Gabriel remembered was he had a neck beard. It wasn't that Mathew was unkind, for he was kind. He just wasn't to bright.

"Well I'm so glad you think so, because Mathew would love to work for you. And you said you need an assistant." Angela chuckled and Gabriel sighed, accepting his defeat.

"Don't be upset Gabriel. There will be a soiree tomorrow." Angela said. "Which reminds me, shouldn't you be accepting responses right now?" Gabriel growled quietly but rose and left, grumbling loud enough for the two women to here about how Jack didn't have to do this.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, one of the longer chapters I've made. It took a while since I also re-wrote the second chapter as well during this time. Enjoy.

Thomas rode in the most exquisite car he'd ever seen. Apparently it was called a limousine, and the inside had a flat screen television, jet black lined seats and coolers with comedically small drinks in the doors. Accordingly the entire thing was also bullet proof, air tight and held extra oxygen tanks plus heavy blast resistance. While Thomas rode he kept his hands folded neatly on his lap, sitting in the very back away from a woman with more make up then face on. She looked nearly sixty and the makeup did not help her. She had blonde hair that looked like straw and uncomfortably tight clothes on. Not uncomfortable as in they were painful to her, just to anyone who sees her in them. She could be described as beautiful to a desperate enough person, but over the last hour she had proven the only thing drier than her hair was her wit. She was interviewing Jack on the way to the Soiree. Supposedly her news channel had paid a small fortune to get the rights to an on the way interview. A small fortune which constituted around twenty million dollars. All for the rights to an hour with the group of people alone. Thomas had also heard she was the owner of said news channels wife, and the reason she was here and not someone more... appealing was that little perk of marriage.

She took notes, a shoulder mounted camera replacing the two drones that usually buzzed around her shoulders like angels and devils. Thomas scanned the outside world, watching the buildings fly past. They had been driving an hour already, listening to the reporter talk about nothing important and say how honored she was to be in the presence of Jack Morrison and company. Mostly the former. She slowly made her way around the room, interviewing people and asking questions. Most of the questions were professional, and only a few were unprofessionally personnel. Usually those were about what the person was wearing. 

Thomas himself wore a tight fitting blue tuxedo that had been fitted specifically for him. It was hot, didn't let him breathe and if something happened Thomas was more likely to strangle himself on the damned tie around his neck than die from the battle. Ana and Angela had to help him with it after he accidentally tied his finger to the tie. Ana had given him strict orders not to fidget, and it took all of Thomas concentration to not take the tie off or at least loosen it a little. He settled in the seat, his back stiff. Scanning the treelines trying to breathe he watched the cars going by. Several faces were turned to look at the limousine, but the tinted windows prevented them from seeing anything. Inside the Limousine sat Fareeha, Angela, Ana, Thomas, Genji, Jack, Jesse and Gabriel. Each one was either one of four guests of honor or the guard that was accompanying them. Thomas didn't quite understand why Ana trusted him with security, but when Ana asked him to be her personal security guard Thomas wasn't going to say no. Jesse was Gabriel's guard, Genji was Jack's and Fareeha was Angela's.

"Oh, young man. You've hardly said a word throughout all of this. You must be excited. To be here, to experience this? Tell me, what is it like seeing this for the first time." Her eyes glew with excitement and she made extravagant gestures with her hands, waving the stylus around. Thomas saw everyone in the vehicle remain relaxed but multiple sets of eyes followed her movement. Thomas could sense she did care what he had to say. He got a feeling she only asked out of politeness, and to be able to say she interviewed everyone.

"I'm certain that you already know the feeling intimately. And that you have said anything I could have better than I ever could." The woman smiled and made a strange noise, like a chortle and a snort... a snortle Thomas decided. Not to be confused with the Pokemon of a similar name.

"Well aren't you charming, and that voice, oh! But young man I do so desire your opinion on this. I mean, you've hardly said anything. How about what it feels like to be accompanying Ana Amari! I know many young men and women who would do anything for a chance like that." Thomas kept his polite smile, trying to hide the twitch that she missed but he was certain everyone else noticed. Thomas also noticed that Ana was smiling and glancing at him from the left.

"I was surprised when she asked me to accompany her-" The women, having decided he had spoken enough, interrupted him.

"So you are invited, not ordered! Fascinating! And Ms Amari, Ana Amari. I'll get to you soon Fareeha. Why did you choose this young man? A pretty face to accompany you? Or something more?" She smiled and winked suggestively. Thomas felt his jaw drop a little.

"Wha- pretty face?" Thomas heard several stifled laughs.

"Oh yes dear but please don't interrupt. If you'd like I could make my way back to you though." Shaking his head he went to looking back at the window. The conversation continued. When her interview was over Thomas risked a glance at Ana, who smiled at him. She wasn't upset with him so far, which was nice. Ana had on a beautiful deep blue dress that expertly complemented her hair, with white gloves and a beautiful sapphire necklace that shone despite the seeming lack of light. Thomas could tell she hated her dress as much as he did the suit. After quite some time the limousine finally stopped in front of a Grand Building in the middle of a large city. Hundreds of people, maybe thousands of them lined up outside. The buildings looked like a grand marble statehouse, with four stories and ten columns on the outside. It was painted a brilliant white with blue stripes around the windows. Every floor had four large windows, each one looked like it was eight square feet. Security walked along the roof and Thomas saw the blue uniformed men and women through the windows. More security walked along the outside, but many were hidden in the crowd of people pushing forward. Reporters lined the row, but none had cameras. Thomas remembered cameras were banned for the first hour of the event due to security concerns. Bombs and hidden weapons mainly. The cameras would turn on later though.

The door opened and Jesse led out, followed by Fareeha. They flanked the door and helped Jack, Gabriel, Ana and Angela out of the vehicle. Genji and Thomas followed, closing the door behind them. Additional security lined the barricades, keeping the screaming reporters out. People wrote furiously on notepads and screamed questions. The four just smiled and waved, accepting compliments. One lady looked like she was about to jump the barricade, but a stern glare from Genji seemed to unnerve her of her strategy. The doors opened automatically and revealed the interior. It was the grandest and most disgustingly bright extravagant building Thomas had ever seen. It hurt his eyes to look at the inside. Marble tiles with blue grout lined the ground in a grid. And long tables lined with finger foods and drinks in fancy margarita glasses. People in white uniforms stood by the serving tables. Other smaller round tables were scattered around the room for anyone who wanted to sit down for the dinner. In the very center was a solid blue dance floor, but it was more so going to be used for ballroom dancing. Several dozen people, many of which Thomas recognized (including the people he met some days earlier) were already inside the building and Thomas knew that several dozen of the hundreds of people were in the crowds were Overwatch agents in disguise armed with small hidden lasers.

While the group walked to the head table Ana again got his attention.

"Thank you for coming Thomas." She said quietly. Thomas blinked in surprise.

"I had to, didn't I?"

"Yes, but you didn't have to be my guard. I appreciate that you said yes." Thomas smiled back.

"No problem. Why didn't you ask Reinhardt though?" Ana chuckled and smiled.

"I usually do, but the seats at the head table are too small for him. One year he sat down to hard and the chair broke underneath him. And as he fell he took the entire table with him." Ana and Thomas chuckled quietly, and the group of eight were led to a large table, which was two pushed together, with a grand blue and white tablecloth and shiny silver plates and multiple sets of forks. Thomas gulped at the sight, until he heard Ana whisper 'Don't worry' to him. 'Why me?' Thomas thought to himself. The group was seated by waiters with faces that show no emotion. It was creepy, but Thomas figured they were just incredibly professional.

People filed in slowly, and while at first an order was maintained it turned into shoving past others. They entered orderly enough, but it was clearly a rush to be closest to the big table. The level of noise in the room became painful to Thomas, and he winced as the level of uproar fluctuated. Near the table was other Overwatch agents, mostly the famous ones. Thomas spotted Lena and Symmetra nearby, and at another table Hana, Lucio and Mei sat. People oohed and ahhed and gawked at the different members of Overwatch, and it suddenly occurred to Thomas that he spent everyday around the equivalent of celebrities. Thomas shifted in his seat, already feeling restless as thousands of eyes scanned him and his companions nearest him.

"Thomas." It was Jack, and Thomas looked at him, snapping out of his hyper alert trance. Jack discreetly motioned towards then away from his chest, mouthing 'breathe' to him. Thomas smiled and nodded, breathing deeply to settle his nerves. He'd feel better when there was food, or something to take his attention away. Thomas busied himself and looked around, examining the many paintings which adorned the walls and looking at small details. Thomas noticed that the banisters which guarded upper floor residents from falling were also marble, and incredibly intricately designed. He noticed a band in one corner of the room, which surprised Thomas as he hadn't noticed it before. Pipes adorned the walls, cleverly hidden in the shadowy corners and tucked almost completely out of sight. They were small, and Thomas briefly wondered what they did. It took the better part of half an hour before the room and the upper floors were filled. What must have been thousands of people filed into the building, filling the upper floors, all of which overlooked the center and gave a view of Thomas's group's table.

Imagine a low rumbling noise, not unlike an earthquake. Low enough you can feel it. Take away the danger you would normally feel, and add twice as much anxiety as you would feel after hearing this. Now add thousands of eyes, all staring at you, from hundreds of different areas. Now make everything painfully shiny, and with so many different smells, you can barely smell anything. Now imagine you have no idea what your supposed to do to pass the time, but everyone else seems to know exactly what to do, and you know your not supposed to move around or lean on your hand. That's what it felt like to sit at this table. In other words, it sucked. Some unknown cue must have been given, and the casual uproar of the building settled down to silence. Jack stood up, and Thomas was extremely grateful that it wasn't him standing there.

"Good Evening Everyone. I am proud to announce another year of success and safety." And there was a round of applause.

"I am honored to see so many faces, many returning, and many new." And there was another round of applause. This horrendous cycle of one to two sentences being said, followed by deafening applause, continued for twenty minutes before the 'first course' arrived. It was various soups. Apparently this would be followed by a time of 'mingling', then another course, rinse and repeat four more times and then everyone would leave. At least the soup was good, but Thomas had no idea what kind it was. It was utter relief when people began to rise from there tables, and terror when they rushed the main tables. Ana rose up and bid Thomas to follow her, and the group was immediately swarmed by several dozen people. They asked questions and shook hands, and Ana bore the brunt of questions and attention while Thomas scanned the crowd.

He realized that it had been more than an hour, and the cameras and phones had come out. People shook hands, fans took pictures, selfies were taken, people announced to their phones they were meeting Overwatch. With a glance Thomas confirmed everyone was being rushed the same way. The most difficult part was watching the multiple sets of hands, but with a little maneuvering Thomas got the people and Ana into a position near a nearby table. Using his own body and the table and chasing a few people off who tried to get behind them Thomas made it so only three to four people could get close and Thomas scanned like a hawk for any hidden weapons. A flash went off and Thomas glared at the man responsible. He paled a little and quickly looked down, adjusting his phone settings. Eventually the mob seemed to clear, and like that the room had order restored. Thomas was left standing there, out of breathe and amazed that he had less trouble navigating mountains then he had with that crowd. Three people approached Ana and Thomas, the first was Katya Volskaya, one of the most important women in Russia. Thomas remembered meeting her in less than great circumstances.The second was Orto Atamasha, the current leader of Japan, the third Thomas didn't recognize, but he had a large round nose, a larger smile and a Nicaraguan flag over his heart. Katya spoke first.

"Hello Ana. Now that the swarming has concluded I came to congratulate you and Overwatch on another successful year, and another donation from Volskaya industries." Ana smiled and nodded politely.

"Thank you Katya, may I introduce you to-"

"I am well acquainted with Mr. Byron. Or as he is known in my country, Вордский вор.(Vordskiy vor.) The gentleman's thief."

"Yeah, how is Volskaya after that whole Leningrad incident?"

"Well the men and women whom you concussed have recovered well, and the power source has been replaced, under much higher security." Thomas winced.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Katya smiled, and somehow the grin was scarier than the glare.

"Is not a problem. I renovated our security after you broke in. And then I did it again after you broke in again. In fact we renovated the entire security system, and ushered in an entire new era of security, just because of you. But do not worry. You did not kill my people, and the power supply was easily replaced. Twice. I will do with you as I did Sombra, and, as my people say, 'put this in the Gulag.'" She extended her hand.

"As long as you don't put me in there." And Thomas shook it. Her grin widened with amusement, but Ana looked pissed. At Thomas or Katya he could not tell. Orta spoke next.

"Well, I suppose these events are about coming together." He glanced at Thomas, a newfound weariness in his face. The niceties continued before the three left, and once out of earshot Ana spoke.

"Katya, you conniving bitch." Thomas stared at Ana. It occurred to him he could only think of one time she had swore, and the fact she had, about one of the most important women in the world, at one of Overwatch's arguably most important events!

"Whoa. Are you okay?" Thomas asked cautiously.

"She besmirched you. The story of you being a thief will spread. It will multiply and make you out to be a bad person."

'Is she wrong?' Thomas thought, but he held his tongue. Either Ana could read minds or his face betrayed him, but Ana looked up at Thomas and spoke again.

"You are a good person. I could tell when I first met you. You needed some rounding out, and you still do, but I wouldn't have asked this of you if i didn't trust you with my life. Some may call it foolish, but I believe in you. I'm proud of you." Thomas stared at Ana, shocked at her words. Not trusting his words he closed his mouth and nodded, happily smiling at here. Ana smiled back and led him to a different group.

Two hours later.

It turns out that talking to rich people is exhausting. Thomas had to censor any jokes, which were few and far between, and he didn't realize how much he swore until he couldn't anymore. He met prime ministers, presidents, he shook the United States presidents hand, and was tempted to never wash it again. Tempted, but not convinced. Rich people mostly, a few super fans of various Overwatch members who were also rich, famous artists and singers and a few miscellaneous people Thomas didn't know, and didn't fit the prerequisites.

Now Thomas was actually hungry. Apparently the food and event were scheduled with multiple layers, first everyone goes in the room and Jack gives his speech, then the mingling begins. After about a half hour they served this 'appetizer'. A thin soup of unknown type. Then mingling, then the next course, a fucking salad. Thomas had been told this event would serve food, and a fair amount of it. But now two of the four courses were over and he was still hungry. All in all though the event was going marvelously. No scenes, no fights, no infiltrators, no gunfights. It was simple, and now Thomas stood on the second floor with Ana. Around them were Lena, Gabriel, Jesse and Olivia. Poor Jack was still being swarmed by various people, and Genji was stuck with him. Angela had almost escaped with Fareeha, but had been ambushed by a single fan, and that led to the duo being swarmed by others. It was like watching zombies and there catch.

"When does this end?" Thomas asked.

"We still have about three hours." Gabriel said.

"Well is the food at the big table for the Overwatch members? I'm hungry. I didn't eat, because I was told there would be food here and didn't want to seem picky." Ana smiled.

"Unfortunately no. It's considered rude for the hosts to eat first." Thomas scoffed and sipped from a glass of water he had snagged from a passing waiter.

"Jack's the host. Not me. I'm skin and bones already. And aren't you the one who's been hounding to eat regularly?" The group chuckled quietly, then Olivia spoke.

"Don't worry Thomas. You'll live. Besides, you've got to much muscle to be just skin and bones anymore." Thomas supposed she was right. He was far from muscular, but Zarya's training had formed the underlying muscle he had developed from missions in Talon to a more well rounded build. His limbs no longer hung, but were skill skinny. His once dangerously lanky form had filled out better in Overwatch, better food and schedules having a positive effect. He'd grown another inch taller in the last few months, finally surpassing Amelie. And a thin layer of fat had developed, barely noticeable, but enough to add a few pounds onto his figure and make Angela happy that he was evening out his height to weight to age ratio. Something that Thomas was particularly proud of was that he had abs now. They had finished developing during the grueling training process with Morelle. They weren't very pronounced, but they were there, or so he had insisted to a smiling Jesse.

"Don't worry Thomas, we all go and get food after this at this nice restaurant in town. You'll like it." Lena said. Thomas smiled. It felt nice to be invited freely to something. With people who wanted to be around him. An alarm sounded on Gabriel's watch, and he scowled.

"That's our cue. Let's get back before we're missed." A scant few groans sprung up, but the group made there way to the stairs. Thomas followed behind Ana, and Jesse lagged behind him. As Ana turned the corner to the main room Jesse took Thomas's shoulder, spun him around and kissed him on the lips. Thomas tried to pull back, surprised by the movement, but stopped once the initial surprise faded. Jesse broke off the kiss after a moment.

"Don't eat to much. I like you in this outfit, but I like you better out of it." And he gestured with his head to the main room. The entire exchange took less than four seconds, and there was no way that anyone could know what had happened, but as Thomas sat in his seat next to Ana and Jack he saw Lena, who glanced at Jesse and gave him a discreet thumbs up along with a sly smile.

When the food of the event was served, Thomas couldn't help but be disappointed. It was a steak, and it was good, but after hours of walking and talking (the latter of the two was somehow more exhausting) the steak was unfulfilling, especially since everyone ate extremely leisurely. Thomas didn't want to be the first at the head table to finish his meal, so he forced himself to wait and eat his food leisurely as well. By the time the meal was finished he was somehow hungrier than when it began.

During the next mingling period, Thomas spotted a man slip away into the back of the building, a place that only security is allowed. Thomas excused himself and followed the man into the back. He was no where to be found. The back of the building was dramatically larger than it appeared, a central hallway, this one lacking any grand painting or decadence, and a dozen doors, each one leading to a different room. Thomas scanned each door, searching for signs of where the civilian had gone. There was no mud or footprints, so Thomas goes to each door and gazed in a small glass window that each door held. He got lucky, because as Thomas gazed in the second one he saw the man, on a phone. Not satisfied, Thomas continued to watch the man from the window. He heard scraps of conversation, something about a a trade deal that went successfully. It didn't sound malicious or dangerous.

The man didn't move aside from nodding his head, and after several minutes he turned to the door, barely missing Thomas's head as Thomas moved away. Thomas ducked into a side door, and watched unseen from the window as the man checked his phone for another several minutes, and left the hallway. Thomas sighed and went to open the door when he heard movement behind him. Thomas turned to look at it and fell backwards, barely dodging a metal pipe. The woman that swung it was short, with brown hair... and an Overwatch security uniform.

"Wait I'm with Overwatch!" Thomas shouted, raising his hand. The woman responded.

"I know." And swung again. Thomas rolled away from the strike. The woman swung widely, and Thomas dodged again, swinging his fist at her. The woman moved away from the strike, and as she moved she brought up her weapon to connect with Thomas's arm. He cried out and stumbled backwards as pain exploded through him. Thomas was suddenly aware of more people behind him, and after dodging another swing turned to find a man with a pistol aiming at him. These definitely weren't security. Thomas dove through the door, hearing gunshots. His body protested the impact of him against the ground. Thomas reached for his comlink, only to discover that it was not there. It was about four pieces in front of him. Two more shots rang out, both missing. Thomas rushed the door, deciding he couldn't run away and let them escape.

More shots rang out, and the door burst open as Thomas threw himself towards the door. He hit the woman at the knees, and the three of them went down in a pile. Thomas kicked the gun away, and it spun out of mind. Thomas yanked himself free first, but the man and woman were both right behind him. The man drew a knife and the woman swung her pipe. Thomas dodged her blow and brought up a kick, landing a strike to her ribs. She gasped in pain and stumbled backwards, and the man rushed forward, knife out to grab Thomas and stab at him. Thomas stepped backwards and let himself fall on the ground. The man tried to fall on him, but Thomas brought his legs up and rolled backwards, throwing the man over him and knocking the knife free. the woman ran up, her pipe gone and her own knife in hand. She tried to stab down at Thomas, but Thomas grabbed her wrist and hit her elbow.

He pushed her hand she drove the knife into her own shoulder. Crying out with pain the man managed to grab Thomas from behind. He wrapped his arms around Thomas, hoisting him up easily and throwing him aside. Thomas landed hard on the ground, and barely rolled away as a boot with where his head had been. Before the man could stomp again Thomas dove forward and up, driving his elbow up into the man's solar plexus. Now Thomas used a trick that Gabriel had taught him. He swung his leg, the blow connecting with the woman chin. As she stumbled away Thomas brought up his elbow, connecting with the mans cheek. As he stumbled away Thomas swung his leg again, connecting the blow to the woman's face and breaking her nose. The man swung the pipe again, but Thomas ducked under and grabbed the man's wrist. He pulled and lowered his body, flipping the man over and with a twist Thomas broke his wrist and arm in several places. The woman managed to tackle Thomas off of her companion, the blade still dodged in her shoulder. 

Thomas saw two men approaching, and they both fire there guns at Thomas. Thomas pushed himself away and jumped, hoping for something to save him. Before they could follow though more silenced gunshots rang out, followed by two bodies thumping. Thomas got his hammer and moved next to the door. When it opened Thomas swung his hammer, but his wrist was grabbed and Thomas got flipped like he was light as a feather. When he hit the ground he blinked, clearing his vision and revealing an alarmed Gabriel.

"Shit! Thomas, I'm sorry!" And Gabriel hoisted Thomas up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. What happened?"

"We got your signal."

"Signal?"

"Smashing your comlink. When they break it sends a distress signal." Thomas nodded.

"Right. Yeah. Distress signal. All part of my plan." Thomas let Gabriel lead him outside the room. The hallway had several other security officers. The two people that had shot at Thomas were on the ground, both dead. The woman was unconscious, blood flowing from her shoulder wound. The knife was discarded nearby. The man was also being arrested, though more carefully as his bone was still protruding. Gabriel led Thomas out of the room, nodding to a security guard.

"How are we going to handle this?"

"We- are going to go back out and keep up appearances. Overwatch knew that there was someone here with an agenda, and they're checking everyone. If you don't have identification and a reason to be here, there going. Jack can be damned on his diplomatic mission.

"You and Jack disagree?"

"Have you not been paying attention?" Gabriel snapped. Thomas's eyes widened.

"Just surprised. Damn." Gabriel shook his head.

"Not your fault. Jack wants to be friendly with everyone. He doesn't want any incidents. I want to make sure everyone is alive. We disagree on things." Thomas nodded.

"My brother always said 'love is never without saying kiss my ass every now and again'." Gabriel continued leading Thomas to the group, but asked.

"Brother?" Thomas blinked and shook his head, swearing at himself silently.

"Yeah. Arthur. I don't like to talk about it." Gabriel heard 'it'. Not him, and realized why Thomas didn't talk about his brother.

"Shit kid. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just, forget I said anything okay. You do the talking when we get back." Gabriel nodded.

"You okay?" Thomas snapped at Gabriel and said:

"I'm fine. I just don't want to talk about it."

"I meant were you hurt."

"Oh. No. I'm fine." Gabriel led back to the group, who all had questions, though they withheld them for the time being. They hadn't caused a scene yet, and if Thomas started talking about how he just fought several armed individuals then panic sets in then the whole event goes up in flames. It didn't take long for everyone to be called back to there tables again, however this would be the last time. 'Desert' was served, a bit of vanilla ice cream served in a bowl that may have been larger than a shot glass. May have been. It took about a minute four everyone, even the fancy people, to finish it. Then came the best part. Leaving. Thomas had survived, he hadn't danced, he hadn't CAUSED a scene. He'd ended one. And slowly important diplomats filed out, followed by less important diplomats. Not quite world leaders, but still important enough to have a big and burly Russian guy follow them as a bodyguard. 

Then, the big head table got to leave. Jack rose first, followed by Genji. Thomas was still impressed that Genji managed to use a combination of face altering technology, well placed clothing and who knows what else to appear as human as possible. In Overwatch he was free to walk around, his full mostly cybernetic form exposed. He wore pants, but other than that he wore very little. Most people didn't know what happened to Genji. How Hanzo had been ordered to kill him. How Hanzo had refused, and the two brothers had tried to escape. How the full wrath of the Shimada clan had turned on them, and a bomb had hit the brothers car. Genji told Thomas this, one day while the two were playing chess. Thomas hadn't asked, the conversation had arisen during the game. Thomas never read anyone's files aside from his own. All the information Overwatch had on a person was in the files, with varying levels of authorization needed for more and more personal information on the person. Despite the overwhelming trust Overwatch's personnel had in him, he was still on probation. Technically. Thomas asked Ana if he could read his own file, and with a few clicks Ana authorized Thomas to read his own file, and gave him a few other permissions.

After reading his own file Thomas felt... not right. It was to personnel. To inclusive. So Thomas refused to read anyone else's file from then on, so as to not breach there privacy so drastically. Genji and Thomas wound up talking to each other, sharing different pieces of there past. Thomas knew what happened to Genji, Genji knew that Thomas had been forced into Talon. And that Thomas grew up in the Canadian wasteland. Turns out there is very little written on the Canadian fallout zone. Turns out it was much larger than Thomas new. Southern and eastern Alaska, and all of Washington plus some of Idaho. British Columbia, Yukon, Vancouver, most of the northwest Territories. All of it turned into a monster ridden, raider infested shit-hole by the damn omnics. 

Other than how big it was and the fact that there's a wall to keep everything in there was almost nothing on the zone. Snippets of articles on projects to help the people. Food distributions. An article on how four new cities had been built and given food, water, electricity. Two of them were ghost towns when Thomas had been forced away. It made Thomas greatly upset that so little was on the Canadian Fallout zone. There was no mention of the raiders. The monsters, most of which were man made that got released in the aftermath, were not pictured, described or mentioned in any way. Any pictures that did exist where of happy people, accepting food and supplies. Soldiers hugging animals and children. Mothers and children together. One article called it 'The pride of Canada- Canadian reclamation of North American lands.' Pride of Canada my ass. The U.S. reports weren't better. It was like no one wanted to know.

It didn't take long for the group to go into the Limousine, this time with full flashing cameras at the ready. Thomas managed to duck in with minimal exposure to the cameras, and with a final wave the door shut, and the vehicle sped off. It's nearly four in the morning. Vincent, a five foot eight Italian man, drove the Limousine. He was kind, and professional. After driving for a full minute Ana smiled and spoke.

"Okay. We're clear." And with that everyone in the vehicle slouched down in their seats. Thomas sighed quietly. He wanted to eat, but first he wanted out of this suit. It felt like he was being suffocated in it. He was sweating a lot, his abdomen felt wet with sweat. His hands also felt cold, his whole body felt fucked up. They were going to stop at the base, change and then they would head to some restaurant. Thomas sighed, enjoying the ability to relax in place.

"I don't think my back has ever been that straight for that long." Jesse smiled.

"I don't think any part of you have been that straight for that long." Thomas looked at Jesse and shook his head.

"Asshole." The others laughed and smiled. As soon as it died down Ana looked at Thomas with a serious expression.

"Okay. Details. Are you hurt?" It made Thomas smile. He was fine, but it always felt nice to have people care about him.

"They hit my arm with a pipe, but other than that I'm fine." Angela looked at Thomas.

"A pipe? Metal?"

"Yes. I'm fine Angela."

"All the same, I want to check it. Make sure there's no obvious damaged, swelling, bruising." Thomas nodded.

"You're the doctor." Thomas pulled at the buttons of the vest, undoing them. It would be nice to cool off a little. As he pulled off the second button, he noticed red on the white shirt. He reached down and touched the stain. It was blood. Dense, warm and sticky. So much so it stuck to his hand as he pulled it away. Gabriel saw, and the smile evaporated.

"Shit kid." That got everyone's attention. Thomas looked up and smiled.

"Nobody... panic." And they didn't. Angela pushed over next to Thomas and pulled aside the Vest. The inside was sticky, and the white shirt underneath was soaked in a large circle around a small hole in the side of shirt. Angela checked the wound, checking both sides. She felt around the shirt, and found the hole where the bullet had gone straight through. But there was no hole in the back of Thomas's shirt. There was an exit wound on Thomas, but not in the shirt. Angela pressed against the shirt, prodding the wound. Thomas felt nothing. No pain, no pressure. Nothing. Angela shook her head.

"Thomas, I need to take the shirt off." Thomas realized what she meant.

"No, because if you take off the shirt, the dried blood will rip open the wound again. Right?" He gave Angela a pleading look. That is a legitimate point. Angela nodded.

"You're right. That makes sense. The blood is partially dried, so it must be staunched by the shirt. Thomas nodded. He gave Angela a grateful look. Genji opened a window to the drivers cabin and said something to him. Vincent took a glance behind, and with no visible reaction the car sped up and he began talking into the built in phone. Genji shut the window.

"It doesn't hurt at all?" Asked Jesse.

"No. It's all numb and, kinda tingly. Like your foot right after it wakes up." Thomas looked at Angela, who was putting pressure on the wound.

"Where's the bullet?"

"There's an exit wound. But, there isn't a whole in your shirt. Okay, what exactly happened?" So Thomas went through the events, Angela working the whole time. When he finished Gabriel smiled.

"You used the move I taught you. I thought you weren't paying attention." Ana shook her head.

"Really Gabriel? That's your first thought." Jack shook his head.

"in all these years, I don't think I've ever see someone get shot and not feel it." Angela got up from her seat and pulled up the cushion, revealing a large compartment. She pulled out a large red box and opened it, wasting no time in taking out some surgical scissors and a few items. Setting the case on the floor she took the scissors and began to cut the shirt open. At any point she was expecting Thomas to cry out in pain, but he didn't react. Finally, she used tweezers to pull the cut shirt scrap away, and revealed the bullet wound. It wasn't bad, a small hole that seeped blood. But the surrounding area was coated in green. It was thick, and when Angela took a vial for a sample it was viscous. She carefully gathered some, and the moment she pulled away enough into the vial that it no longer completely covered the wound Thomas doubled over.

"Arrghhh!" He screamed. Suddenly the entire wound burned. He clapped his hands over the wound, as fiery pain lapped at him. Gabriel leaned over and took one shoulder, and Ana took the other.

"I got it! I got it. It took... it took me by surprise is all." He accepted their help to sit up though. Angela took a swab and looked at Thomas.

"Whatever this is it's blocking nerve connections. If I don't get it off now it may be permanent. If it isn't already." The thought scared Thomas. He nodded and shifted his position, sitting on his hands.

"Do it." Angela nodded.

"Okay, One-" And she took the swab and rubbed it over the wound. It soaked in the green liquid with ease. Thomas shouted as the pain sprung forth, grabbing at him. He keeled over, barely held back by the others. Thomas forced his hands to remain still, and his teeth ground against each other. Ana hurriedly took off one of her soft gloves, folded it and leaned over.

"Bite down on it. It will keep you from hurting yourself." The glove tasted like you'd expect, but it did help keep Thomas from grinding his teeth. Or from accidentally biting his tongue off. Within a minute Angela finished cleaning the front of the wound and as deep as she dared to probe. Thomas turned on the seat and Angela began cutting away at the shirt again.

"Okay, same as last time. One, two, three." And she repeated the procedure. Thomas, despite knowing the pain was coming, still nearly doubled over again. Ana and Gabriel held his shoulders, keeping him from keeling over. Angela was fast though, and she cleared away the last of the liquid, replacing it with gel sticks that would help seal the wound. She took some bandages and blocked the wound sites. When she finished she had blood covering her once blue gloves gloves. Fareeha smiled.

"I can't take you anywhere without you getting covered in blood can I?" Angela chuckled.

"So you took me there. That's how you see it." Angela took a painkiller and handed it to Thomas, who swallowed the pill without hesitation. When he had first met Angela he was constantly suspicious of her, watching her movements intently, questioning everything she did. Now he trusted her enough to not second guess her. The pain still throbbed, but the gauze sticks started melting, their painkilling effects taking effect as they sealed off the wound. Thomas reached up to take the glove out of his mouth, only to find it was stuck. He reached up and pulled at the glove, and managed to take it out, and discovered several teeth sized holes in the soft glove.

"Uh. Ana. I kinda... bit through your glove." Thomas handed it to her, and she looked amazed.

"How did you...? This glove is... You shouldn't be able to bite through this. Even in these abnormal circumstances you should never be able to bite through this." Now everyone looked at Thomas. He shifted, then stopped as his side yelled at him. Thomas kept his mouth closed. He knew his teeth, at least his canines were longer than most people... and sharper. But Angela said that was normal for some people. He looked around and fidgeted nervously with his hands. It seemed like everyone expected Thomas to say something. "Well. We all know that I'm..." He wanted to say freak. Thomas was a freak. But that felt... to piteous. It felt like something a self pitying person would say, no matter how appropriate. It sounded like -something, a weak person would say. "Not normal. Is it that much of a surprise something else about is different." After another few moments Genji spoke.

"Being normal sucks." He said with a grin. And like that the tension sapped away. Thankfully people drew their attention away from Thomas and he felt relief again. Thomas reached up and felt along his jaw. It didn't hurt, but he wondered if his teeth were harder than normal, or if he had more bite pressure than other people. The rest of the trip went with some conversation. Thomas spoke very little as the pain came to him in waves. The tingling feeling was lost now, and dull throbbing replaced it. This time the adrenaline refused to leak away. It stayed, and Thomas nerves flared up in alarm at every bump in the road. When they finally arrived at the base Thomas refused a stretcher, preferring to limp indignantly to a center again. Angela took a few readings and hooked him up, again to the usual machinery.

"I think Overwatch is bad for my health." He said to Angela. She chuckled.

"I think that your just bad for yourself."

"I'm telling you, I never got injured this frequently before Overwatch." Angela shook her head and continued writing things down. While he was thinking about it, Thomas decided to ask Angela a few questions.

"Uh.. Angela? Could I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure Thomas. What's on your mind?"

"When you first... found me. How did you disable the implant in my neck?"

"I overloaded it." She said simply. Not even turning to face Thomas.

"How? They said if I messed with it it would overload me!" Angela put down the screen and stylus.

"Thomas, the Talon higher ups are master manipulators. They wouldn't risk killing you. But they would do whatever it took to guarantee your loyalty."

"But why didn't they just try to mind wipe me? Like they tried with Amelie?"

"Because doing that requires constant maintenance and lessons combat and thinking ability by lessening the will of their victims. If they did that with you, it may have killed you or stripped you of your powers." Thomas nodded. He trusted Angela enough now to believe her answers.

"Okay. And uh... finally. This is kinda a personal question."

"It's perfectly normal to notice hair in new places or other biological changes during puberty Thomas." Thomas blinked.

"What?! NO! That isn't what I was going to ask you! Wait." Thomas felt his upper lip. He had very little facial hair. Some grew on his upper lip and cheeks, but it was only noticeable in the right lights." Should I have grown more hair by now?"

"Oh. No, some people grow at different rates. Anyway, what were you going to say?" Thomas let his hand fall back onto the bed.

"Well, I understand if you're not allowed to tell me, but would it be possible for you to check if I was related to anyone in Overwatch." Angela raised an eyebrow.

"Anyone in particular?"

"Well. Um. Ana. And or Fareeha." Angela's curiosity is now peaked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Angela, you know that I don't remember much about my childhood. I remember next to nothing before the age of twelve. A few people have commented that I look like Ana."

"Thomas, you have different hair colors, and eye colors, and you're Canadian." Thomas shook his head.

"I realize it's stupid. I'm just... curious." Angela looked sadly at Thomas.

"Well. No. The medical division runs tests specifically to tell if there is any relation amongst members. You're not related." Thomas nodded. That was okay.

"Yeah. I feel stupid now."

"Don't. would you have liked if Ana was your mother? Or if you were related?" Thomas waited, but nodded.

"Yes. I don't know what possessed her to not just shoot me the moment she saw me. But I'm happy she didn't." The sound of the heater turning on startled Thomas. Angela chuckled quietly.

"A large part of it was what you said to her. In spite of everything, how you acted after you were recruited. On your first mission. When it came down to it, you didn't shoot her. Or threaten her. You said, 'Just let me go, and you can go.' When push came to shove your first reaction was to try and escape without killing people. That's what made her fight for us to recruit you." Thomas looked at Angela, confusion plain on his face.

"She wanted to recruit me?"

"Yes. I wanted to at least keep you here until you were better. Ana wanted to recruit you and see how you react. Jack and Gabriel wanted to at least hold you here. See if they could get any information out of you. We managed to convince the rest of the council and somehow, despite being disrespectful, yet charming. Being a smartass, but still respectful. You passed the tests. Maybe not with flying colors, but you still passed. And I don't think any of us regret having you in Overwatch." Thomas smiled.

"Wow. I... thank you." Angela smiled warmly and ruffled Thomas's hair affectionately while walking to the door.

"As I said. none of us regret it. I'll send the others in. Jesse has been chomping at the bit to see you." And she left, leaving the door open. Jesse came in and shut the door behind him.

"Hey darlin." He moved to the side of the bed. "Didn't I tell you last time you weren't allowed to get hurt anymore. It's like I can't take you anywhere." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault. Besides, I don't see you stopping potential security threats and making it back in time for dinner." Jesse smiled and took Thomas's hand.

"The doctors say yer fine. Their gonna hold you until noon tomorrow to make sure the insurgents didn't mix anything other than a numbing agent into those bullets." At least Thomas wouldn't be here for as long as last time.

"Thank god. Are you guys going to go get food now?" Jesse shrugged.

"I can stay with you if you want. Keep you company." Thomas smiled at Jesse and rubbed his thumb over the back of Jesse's hand.

"Go on. I'll be fine for a few hours by myself. Tell the others I'll be fine." Jesse leaned over and kissed Thomas's lips.

"Love you. Do you want me to bring you anything?" Thomas felt warm all over. He would never admit it but he loved the feeling he got when Jesse was protective over him. The feeling of warmth and safety is addictive.

"Just bring me a cheeseburger with... pickles and onions." Jesse got up and chuckled while walking to the door.

"There's no way i'm bringing you food with onions on it." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Oh grow up Jesse." But Thomas was smiling. Before he left Jesse paused. He ran back over to Thomas and whispered in his ear.

"Get better soon. I have a surprise planned for tonight." And Jesse kissed Thomas again. With final goodbye he left, closing the door behind him. Thomas sagged backwards into the bed and lay his head on his fist. 

'Way to go Thomas. Get shot up. How many times are you going to end up here before you learn to not look for trouble.' With a loud sigh Thomas let his head fall back onto the pillow. He stared at the ceiling until he heard the door open. Looking at it He saw both Gabe and Jack. They were out of their formal attire, in civilian wear surprisingly. They both had t-shirts on and pants. Gabriel had a bag of something in his hand.

"Hey kid. Still in one piece?" Asked Gabriel. He was teasing Thomas, but not meanly.

"Yeah. Angela doesn't allow fighting in this section. Not to be rude, but what are you guys doing here?" They both grabbed chairs and pulled them up next to the bed.

"Figured we'd keep you company." Gabe reached into the bag and pulled out a Tupperware container. In it was a Sandwich. He handed one to Thomas, and another to Jack.

"Thanks. This looks good, but why stay? I told Jesse I'll be fine. You could have gone with the others." Gabriel shook his head.

"Maybe. But If I had done my job you would never have had to fight them. The plan was to nab them when they made for the power junction. It wasn't until you spooked the other two security realized something went." He reached in the bag.

"I didn't know what you liked. I brought a few things. Lettuce, sliced tomatoes. A few condiments." A few was an understatement. He had a half dozen condiments and about a dozen different meats and vegetables in Tupperware containers. It occurred to Thomas that he really thought this through, that he really cared. It was a good thing that Thomas had a medical excuse why his cheeks and forehead were a few shades short of cherry red. Taking some tomatoes and pickles and mustard Thomas put together a quick sandwich.

"Thank guys. I know your busy... but it means a lot." Thomas wanted to say more, but... words. And feelings. And every time he looked at Jack he thought 'wow he looks good in a tight shirt.' Thomas had admitted to Jesse that he had a little crush on Jack and Gabe. Just that he thought that they were nice. And attractive. Jesse had smiled and laughed. He was okay with it. Surprisingly okay with it. It came as a relief to Thomas to get it off his chest. Now he just had to not be totally obvious that he liked the older men who were desperately out of his league. Thomas took a bite from his sandwich to hide his lack of comprehensible speech.

"So what did you think of the event?" Asked Jack. He looked intently at Thomas. Like Thomas's answer was really important to him.

"I'm happy to be out of that suit. Sorry about... ruining it. " Angela let Thomas wear a loose fitting T-shirt in favor of the hospital gown.

"Don't sweat it kid. I wish more people took down a spy for every suit that gets ruined."

"The event was... eh. I'm not meant to be in the light like that. I felt like everybody was looking at me at all times. I know they weren't, but it felt like it." Thomas didn't at all regret going when Ana asked him. He'd do it again for her, but he didn't want to.

"I thought you'd like it a little bit." He was disappointed. Thomas could here it in Jacks voice.

"It's just me. I don't do well in crowds. To many faces. To many possibilities. That sort of thing. It's not anything you did." The three continued to talk for almost an hour before Jack cleared his throat. The three had finished eating a while ago.

"Thomas. Gabriel and I have a favor to ask. You are free to refuse. This is not an order." Thomas looked at Jack. Jack's voice was serious, and both looked surprisingly nervous.

"Okay." Jack inhaled deeply.

"We have a mission. We need a guide. Someone who's proficient in cold weather. Extreme cold, negative twenty Celsius cold." Thomas nodded, Relief spreading through him.

"Sure. Where do you n-"

"Wait." Jack warned. The nervous feeling fluttered back.

"If you went, you'd have to take charge of a team. Gabriel would lead it, and Ana is going as well. We have yet to put together the rest of the team, but it will be large. Ten, maybe fifteen people plus local support. Extraction of critical data." Thomas nodded. If Gabriel and Ana were going he was going.

"Okay." Jack looked at Gabriel again, as if seeking support.

"Thomas." Gabriel began. "It's in the Canadian Fallout Zone."


	16. Old enemies and new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut! Wonderful Smut! Poorly written by me!

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Shouted Thomas.

"Keep your voice down!" Gabriel hissed. He looked ready to jump out of his skin. They had not expected such a reaction from Thomas.

"WHY-"

"Shh! If you can't be mature about this you won't go." Thomas wanted to bite back that it'd be fine with him, but Ana and Gabriel was going. They'd die without him.

"Don't go. You don't no what it's like." He pleaded. He couldn't remember much, but a constant feeling of abject terror was present in every memory. Even the happy ones. "People like us die there. If the raiders don't get them, the monsters or the cold or the mountain sickness does. There's horrible things there. Yenaldooshi. Wendigo. Horrible creatures not from this earth that roam the mountains and forests, just looking for juicy bits of meat that are stupid enough to walk there." Thomas took a deep breathe. Jack and Gabe were about to get the nurse. Thomas's eyes looked wide and panicky. The heartbeat monitor showed his heart rate had spiked instantly. His face looked flushed.

"Thomas, deep breathes. You don't have to go." Thomas took another deep breathe.

"Like hell I don't. I'm going. It's the only way you're getting back alive. Let me help you pick the teams. Let me help with everything. I can get you back alive, but you can't hide anything from me. I need to know what we're, getting where it is." Thomas gestured in a circle with his hands. "As much as we're allowed." That wasn't at all satisfactory. But it would have to work. Thomas nodded enthusiastically.

"Great that'll work. Christ. How many days until the mission? Never mind it will never be enough." Thomas rose like he meant to get out of bed, but Gabe put a hand on his shoulder.

"Absolutely not. You're shot. You're resting."

"Gabriel there's so much to do. I'll be fine." Gabriel leveled a glare at Thomas.

"No." He said it firmly and Thomas let himself fall back onto the bed without fighting. He wanted to get up, but... he also didn't.

"You are staying in place. That's an order." That made Thomas want to fight him. But, Gabriel wasn't ordering him to be rude or just for the hell of it. He was doing it because he thought it's what's best for Thomas.

"At least bring me a dossier. Some information, something." Gabriel and Jack smiled. Three months ago Thomas would have argued with them.

"Sure. I'll get it for you later. For now, rest. We need to go and do paperwork." Thomas nodded, but before they could leave he spoke.

"Guys? Uh... thank you." Jack nodded at Thomas and the two left. Thomas couldn't help but shiver at the memories of his home. He still remembered most of the tricks he had for surviving. Things used on a daily basis for survival tend to stick with you. In an arguably ironic twist Thomas wound up falling asleep to his memories. It was almost six in the morning when he fell asleep.

At 12:30 P.M. Thomas was awoken by Jesse. Thomas kept his eyes close. Everything felt stiff. He heard Jesse quietly saying his name, but Thomas scrunched his face and rolled over on his side, drawing the cover up closer. He felt cold. Jesse spoke again, humor in his voice.

"Thhhooommmmaaasss. Wake up darling. I know you're awake." Thomas grumbled quietly, saying something along the lines of 'Five more minutes.' Jesse laughed and Thomas felt Jesse's hand on his shoulder. The hand rubbed his shoulder gently, moving in smooth circles from his neck along chest through his shirt and up to his shoulder again. The smell of food wafted in the room.

"Fine. I guess I'll just have to eat without you while you finish sleeping." That was just cruel. Thomas's stomach grumbled at the smell of burgers and seasoning. He grumbled again and pushed himself up on his elbow. Opening his eyes was harder than expected, but he managed.

"I'm on this side darling." Thomas rolled his eyes and rolled over. There was no pain in his abdomen anymore, though moving still hurt. Jesse handed him a large container with a large cheeseburger and fries in it. Wasting no time Thomas began eating, paying no attention until Jesse cleared his throat. Thomas stopped eating mid bite.

"What? No Good morning kiss?" Thomas looked down at his food and swallowed his bite. He hadn't brushed his teeth last night. And now he had more food in his mouth, with garlic and other foods that makes a kiss less pleasant. Thomas leaned over and put his head on Jesse's shoulder. It was somewhat awkward, but he made it work.

"I love you. Thank you for breakfast."

"Darlin it's almost one in the afternoon." Thomas blinked and shook his head. Shit! How could he have slept in so much. He needed to work on the Canada mission. If he wanted to get everyone home alive he needed to get weapons, design his own special bombs like he had before. So much to do.

"Shit! Damnit! Fuck." Thomas pulled away from Jesse's shoulder. He looked around. Someone had dropped off the dossier on a side table. Thomas took it and began scrolling through it. There was a lot of information. Size limits on the team. Equipment requisitions. Recommended team members. The like. Jesse looked at Thomas sadly. The food was already forgotten in the container, and Jesse reached up, putting his hand on Thomas shoulder.

"Thomas. Eat. We can worry about that later. You need to eat. Please." Jesse sounded worried, Thomas could feel it. The care in his voice drew him out from the tunnel vision. Thomas set the tablet down.

"I'm sorry. I just... that place is evil Jesse. Good people go in and get eaten alive. I'm not exaggerating. I used to go and try to find people. Missing people. I would find them, and try to rescue them from bandits... and monsters. So many of them would be dead. I still see them. See the nightmares. Images of children, chewed and gnawed with bones exposed. Still alive. They kept them alive while eating. So the meat was better for longer or some other fucked up reason. The monsters did that. I can just see Ana, or Gabriel like that. Hung by there own muscles from a stalactite. Slowly being eaten over days. I can't let that happen to them. I can't lose anyone else to that place." Tears formed in Thomas's eyes and he looked away from Jesse. Jesse was incredibly supportive of Thomas. But it still didn't feel nice to cry.

'I've got to get over it. I've got to lead these people.' He thought. Jesse wrapped his arms around Thomas, hugging him tightly. Thomas leaned into the hug, letting a few tears fall. Jesse planted kisses up and down Thomas face and cheek, whispering small words of praise and support into his ear.

"I understand. Work for today. I'll come get you tonight for the surprise. Tomorrow, you can work, but you need to relax before the mission. I want you to go to the party anyway, even though your busy." Thomas protested, and it turned into a full blown argument. Thomas and Jesse didn't argue much. Jesse was to polite to be truly petty, and Thomas didn't really care about any point or petty thing to fight with Jesse. Usually they argued over small, things that neither side would let grow into something serious. Jesse had a bad habit of using the last of something and putting the container back. Thomas had a bad habit of leaving his clothes in a pile on the floor, which meant leaving his clothes anywhere he felt. Since Thomas spent so much time in Jesse's room he didn't complain much. Usually after a fight the two went to the shooting range.

If Jesse couldn't convince Thomas the other was in the wrong, or vice versa, they shot targets. Whoever could shoot the most targets, the fastest and with the best shots would win. Usually Jesse would win, but he would still apologize after Thomas had. The two would go back to his room, kiss and make up with each other. They promised each other, that if something was really bothering them they wouldn't let it lay, they would talk like adults. Thomas loved it. The thing bothering them didn't have to be even about them. It could be about a mission. Jesse conceded that he was worried about Gabriel one night. That after the Omnium mission went wrong Gabriel had been obsessive about catching the people who sent the cyborgs, but little information was available. Thomas had confessed he had a crush on both Jack and Gabriel. Jesse had smiled knowingly at that and Thomas figured he had guessed already. The two would talk and hug and sleep after the other was finished, and it felt amazing to be able to speak with someone in such a way. Thomas had never been able to do that before, be this close to a person.

Finally Jesse sighed. He looked down for a moment, then looked up at Thomas. His eyes were sadder, and his features softer. He looked like he was about to cry. Thomas had seen that face before. His begging face. He looked so cute and intolerably sad.

"Jesse." Thomas said, a smile forming. "Don't you dare. I'm to busy," Jesse let his shoulders fall, and looked away slowly. That broke Thomas.

"Damnit Jesse fine. I'll go to the stupid party." Jesse lost the sad look in an instant.

"Promise?" Thomas rolled his eyes and shook his head, but acquiesced.

"Fine." Jesse's smile grew.

"Thank you. I know it doesn't seem like it, but if you stay this tense you will burn out before the mission even starts. Now eat." The food was remembered again, and Thomas resumed eating. The food was no longer hot, but it was still good.

"I hate it when you make that face."

"You love it."

"No I don't. You look like a dog begging for a bone."

"Now that is funny. Because I distinctly remember you begging for a bone a few nights ago." Thomas shook his head.

"Never tell that joke to anyone else. Ever." Thomas warned. Jesse smiled and placed a kiss on Thomas's cheek.

"Eat. It's good for you." Thomas glanced at the burger. "You know what I mean."

Later.

Thomas was one of the few people who's company Torbjorn actually enjoyed. He is respectful to him, takes his advice, is polite. Everything a young man should be. Torbjorn actually cleaned out a corner of his massive forge for the boy, he spent so much time there. Thomas's area looked messy, but their was a hidden organization amongst the piles of parts. A few things lay scrapped, and a single custom made pistol was the reward for days of toil and reforging. Torbjorn himself had aided the young man in his craft, thought Thomas had a strict rule. If he was using it frequently, he made it himself. He accepted help, but would not let Torbjorn do it himself.

Now Thomas worked in his corner. He had earbuds in, and a wide array of parts in front of him. Hastily drawn blueprints were in a pile on one desk. The heat from the forge was insufferable, but bottles of water cooled Thomas enough to keep working. Surprisingly the smell of oil and other noxious mechanic fumes were mostly absent. Large mostly silent fans swirled overhead, carrying away smells from the forge. The heat stayed, but the breeze was nice. The bit of plastic in his hand was being pulled in just the right way, with a fuse sticking out the top. It was a rudimentary pipe bomb, but it's contents were a special combination of chemicals, designed to be loud, bright and obnoxious. It would drive off any sensitive eared predator, and scare the piss out of any people nearby.

With a tug the fuse was yanked upwards. Light it up, and the fuse had ten seconds to go off. Thomas held it up to the light. He still had the magic touch. Or at least an explosive one. Thomas placed the IED in a fire proof clear bag and got up. He would test this in the testing room. On his way to the room he was intercepted by Ana. She didn't look angry, but somewhat frustrated. She asked Thomas to follow her to her office and Thomas hoped she wasn't mad at something he did.

"Hello Thomas. How are you doing after last night?" Thomas smiled. The bullet wound didn't hurt. Much. At least not anymore.

"Fine. I was just going to test this. Gabriel told me about the mission and I'm making a few things for it." Ana looked at the hastily made pipe bomb. She did not want Thomas to blow off a finger, or a hand.

"You do realize you have access to properly made explosives."

"Yes, but I need specific things. This one goes off, and is designed to throw spark and basically firecrackers around. It creates light, noise, and scares anything within a hundred yards of it away. Unless it's a polar bear, which are attracted by it. I don't know why." Ana raised an eyebrow

"Thomas, I'm fairly certain there are no polar bears in Canada." Thomas nodded.

"There are. I fought one once." Thomas tapped his shoulder. There was a small, Jagged scar there where he had been caught with a stray bite from one. Thomas got lucky in that fight. The ice broke under it and it was swept away, leaving a bleeding Thomas on the ice. Ana had an Idea. She took out her phone and typed 'Polar bears' into it. Thomas had called monsters strange things before. A polar bear to him might be something different. Though she hoped she was wrong.

"Thomas. Is this a polar bear?" The picture was of a polar bear from the side. Thick fur covered white with a mountain behind it. Thomas looked at it and shook his head.

"No. He's much to cute to be a polar bear. A polar is... Do you paper? And a pencil? I have a feeling my talents may be of more use." Ana fetched the paper and a pencil, which Thomas took wordlessly.

"Give me... an hour please. I will draw a polar bear to the best of my abilities. And show you. Why no data, no information, is worth a visit to this place." Thomas stared at Ana, a strange new look in his eyes. It was not terror, or even fear. It was a look she had seen in old men and women. The look of death and ghosts.

"An hour. Privately." Thomas looked distant , and his voice matched. It was as if he was talking to himself. "Yes. Yes." He shook his head, and his voice returned to normal. "Err. Sorry. One hour please. And you'll be pleased with the results." Ana was now reluctant to leave. But she had a feeling she should go. So she did, to return an hour later.

When she returned she found Thomas had barely moved. His chin rested on his fist, and the pencil tapped erratically. Thomas was biting his fist, muttering himself quietly. He moved as Ana approached, which startled her more than it should. Thomas made an adjustment to the drawing, and returned to his previous pose.

"Thomas?" Thomas jumped, yanking back his fist and hiding it at his side.

"Ana. I finished." He looked away. There was a wild look in his eyes, terror, almost. Ana looked at the picture. It was well done. Excellent shading. If not for the fact it was grey, it could be a picture. A horrible picture. Several papers were drawn, almost like schematics, of what looked like a polar bear, but bigger. It's face was longer, not unlike a dogs snout. It's teeth hung out of it's mouth, pointed both inward and outward in two rows on the top and bottom, forming a cage of bone. It's fur was darkened by the mouth, and next to the animal's head was scale. The head was longer than an adult's arm. The drawing showed the animal was almost entirely muscle. It brimmed with energy, even on the page. It stood eight feet tall, a large lumbering mass of fur. It's eyes were nothing. Pits almost, bit somehow they brimmed with an intelligence. It's nostril ran well up into its face, half way up the snout. It's paws, looked like hands. Almost. They spread like a star, each finger baring three knuckles. They ended in long claws. An illustration showed how they moved, with each claw connecting at the center of its paw.

"It grasps things. Food, people, door handles." He shook his head and began biting his nails. It had no tail. It's feet were typical bear feet, except an additional toe lay at the rear of it's foot. Each foot sported similar claws as it's forepaws.

"Why are it's forepaws and rearpaws so different." Thomas got up and began pacing.

"They like to lumber on all fours, but make no mistake. They sprint, they run. Those aren't forepaws. They're hands. And feet. They climb like a cat, and run like a dog. And eat like bears. But they aren't. They stand on two foot, at 3 meters, maybe 4 on a big one." He shook his head and shuddered.

"Please Ana. Don't go. Call off the mission. This." He pointed accusedly at the drawing. "Is not the worst there. Not even close. It's smart. It hunts, but it toys, like an orca, with its prey. There are worms, that burrow into your neck. There are creatures, that run a dagger like claw along you belly, and spill you guts while your still alive, all because it likes the food warm. Things that separate legs, and eat them in front of you. Savoring the terror. Things that kill people you love until you give and wait for it to kill you. But it won't. It savors the terror." Ana felt Thomas wasn't speaking about the bear anymore.

"They will kill everything you love, and let you rot in terror before they finally come and collect you. By then you'll be happy. To be dead. To stop the pain. It never goes away. If you go, if you survive, you'll see it. It will haunt your nightmares, when you wake, it won't be your lovers face you see, it'll be it's. When you sleep, you'll see it, out a window, through a closet, in a mirror." Thomas hands were shaking violently, his eyes darted fearfully around the room, as if he could see some monster now. He was pale. Ana put her hands up, taking either of Thomas's cheeks in either hand. She held him like that, waiting patiently for the wild look to bleed out of his eyes. Thomas grasped her wrists tightly. His voice wavered.

"If we go. IF we go. I cannot promise safety. i cannot promise life, limb, sanity. I cannot promise that anyone will leave this place, any better than I did. I can't promise they won't end up like me. I'm begging you, what information could risk such peril?" Ana sighed.

"The information to bring down Talon. The information to brake a human trafficking ring. The information on an active Omnium refinery. We cannot pass this up." Thomas shook himself free of her hands.

"And what are you willing to lose to get this information? This is not risk of being shot. This is not sickness, nor battle. This is being hunted. Plain and simple. This is constant strife, fear for your life. Where man or beast may claim you, and eat you. I must go. I'm very busy. Very busy." He was distant, talking to himself again. He looked at Ana.

"Take these. Find someone with the authority to disband the mission. And preferably with more sense than any who approved it." And with that he collected his plastic bag and left. But, before he left through the door, he turned to face Ana. he looked older somehow. His features looked more weathered, as if the hour were years.

"I saw the team roster. I will make adjustments to it. But Angela, Olivia, even Fareeha. They are all on the roster to go. I do hope you realize what there in for. Do you realize? What it's like? The biting cold? The howling wind. I cannot guarantee life to them. And if they make it through, they will not be the same. The ice, and trees, hold grudges." And on that dramatic note, he left. Ana took another glance at the drawing. It seems the eyes were looking at her. Ana shuffled a paper over them and shivered. She couldn't call off the mission. To much was at stake. But Ana looked again at the drawing.

'Is it possible that Thomas is unwell. Mentally. To the point of imagining great beasts?' She thought. She hoped Thomas was wrong.

Eight hours later.

Thomas had tested six of his explosives, and aside from one where the fuse went out the others worked marvelously. Loud and obnoxious. Dangerous. Thomas had modified the schematics of his bombs, and delivered them to Torbjorn, asking him if he could aid in there construction. Torbjorn obliged, and six 'Bams' as Thomas affectionately called them where ready for use. Now Thomas was working in the forge again, putting the final touches on another Bam, when his phone went off. thomas was careful to finish the explosive quickly before answering. From somewhere else in the forges he heard Torbjorn call out.

"Is that your ringtone? 'The Imperial March' from Star Wars?"

"It's an excellent musical piece." Thomas called back. There was a loud bang, then a response.

"NERD!" Thomas smiled and shook his head before answering the phone.

"Hey Jesse."

"Hey Darlin. You sound better."

"I feel better. Getting my mind off things helps." Working all day like this definitely made Thomas think about other things. Like whether it was 30 or 40 milligrams of explosives to put in the bomb. Because if he got it wrong it may be his hands they take.

"Are you done for the night?" Thomas glanced at the table. It was messy. Then Thomas took a moment and looked down at himself. His tight fitting shirt was now untucked, with marks from soot and various bits of grease. Torbjorn had asked for Thomas's assistant with a machine he was working on. It was messy business.

"Uh. Let me clean up and I can be."

"You can shower over here. Hurry up." He practically purred the last part and Thomas looked behind him, glad to see Torbjorn was almost certainly out of earshot.

Thomas wasted no time assembling the various bits and pieces into proper container, sealing off necessary bits and pieces. After that he bid goodbye to Torbjorn and left for Jesse's room. Upon arriving Thomas knocked on the door. He was curious what Jesse had planned for tonight. Jesse opened the door, and smiled at the sight of Thomas.

Thomas looked filthy. He'd been working for the day, that much was clear. His hands were the only clean thing about him, and only because he had washed them beforehand. His hair was mussed up and hung together in clumps, sticking together. He had grease and other substances on his clothes, and the edge of his shirt looked burnt. Thomas still smiled, and Jesse thought how amazing he looked. Even filthy and covered in muck, he still looked fantastic. Jesse reached over and wiped away a little bit of schmuck from Thomas upper lip. It cling to the hairs growing there, but came off easily enough. Jesse kissed Thomas on the lips, taking the neck of his shirt in hand and pulling him into the room. The door shut behind him and Jesse held the kiss. Thomas kept his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation until Jesse broke it off.

"Get a shower. Don't bother putting clothes back on." Thomas nodded eagerly, but Jesse didn't let him go yet. "Everything's in there for you. Be ready before you leave." Thomas made a laughing sound that sounded like a giggle. Jesse's smiled widened.

"You keep making that noise you're not gonna make it through the shower." And he released Thomas's shirt, watching Thomas as he walked to the bathroom. Jesse couldn't wait to put his hands on his that rear end.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. Thomas stepped out, covered by only a towel around his waist down to his knees. Jesse smiled.

"Before we start, I do have a not sex related present. Close your eyes." Thomas obliged, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Thomas heard a movement in front of him, and then Jesse spoke.

"Open your eyes." Thomas did so, and in front of him was a box. The tape was cut but the flaps were closed. Thomas leaned over to open the box and felt a hand on either side of his hips and then Jesse's face on his shoulder. Jesse took the end of his ear in his mouth, biting it gently. Thomas shuddered and pressed the back of his head against Jesse's cheek.

"I thought you wanted me to open this first."

"I do, I'm just opening my present at the same time." Thomas chuckled and opened up the box. Inside was a slew of items. In the right half was books. Science Fiction books, Star wars books. Thomas smiled widely and took one. There must be twenty books in the box. Jesse laughed behind Thomas, releasing his ear.

"You would go for the book first."

"How did you know?"

"I pay attention to what you say. You like reading. You like sci-fi, 'especially Star Wars'. That's what you said when we first went out." There was more in the box, but it was all individually wrapped. Before Thomas could open anything his towel was knocked off his body and two lubed fingers entered him, quickly going to the second knuckle before meeting resistance. Thomas gasped and dropped the book in his hands, but Jesse caught it with his free hand.

"Keep going." Jesse whispered, slowly moving his two fingers, spreading and moving. Thomas nodded, biting his bottom lip, and reached for one of the packages. He opened it and his fell mouth fell open. It was packaging for a moderately sized vibrating dildo. It was smaller in length and width than Jesse's.

"For the times when we can't be with each other." Jesse whispered into Thomas's ear. He pushed forward, his finger pushing against the tight ring of muscle until it swallowed Jesse's fingers up to the third knuckle. Thomas whined low in his throat, his cock bobbing up against his abdomen.

"W-why is it s-s-smaller than yours?" Thomas stuttered. Even though he would be much more filled later, the sensation of anything inside him still gave him surges of intense pleasure. Jesse's fingered wiggled inside of him, searching again for the prostate. His remaining fingers on his hand were not idle. They stroke his perineum gently, and send shocks of pleasure of into his body, and his cock.

"No toy is gonna spread you more than me, darling." He whispered into Thomas's ear. "Open the second one, then we can get started for real." Thomas nodded and set down the toy. Jesse began kissing the back of Thomas's neck, holding a position until he could see a red mark grow, than moving on. He kissed gently along the tops of some of Thomas's scars, some of which nearly reached his shoulder. Thomas froze, his body going stiff. Jesse continued his work, kissing along the length of the scars.

"I love you so much Thomas." He felt the muscles Thomas's body loosen. 'He has a praise kink.' Jesse thought. It made sense.

"I love all the marks on your body, each one." Jesse ran his free hand along one that paralleled Thomas's spine. Thomas shuddered under Jesse's administrations.

"I love how each and every mark on your body is like a button, push here for a gasp." Jesse pushed deeper into Thomas and Thomas gasped dramatically. "Or here for a moan." Thomas moaned loudly when Jesse did so.

"I love how you're so very sweet for me. I love your freckles. I love how you laugh at my jokes when no one else will. How you only giggle around me, because you trust me. How you let me do this. I love the way you say absolutely, and how when you're about to orgasm, you speak French. How you wiggle your toes when you get comfortable." Thomas loved this. His eye lids felt heavy from pleasure, and his cock had began weeping, thick goblets of cum sticking to his stomach. This entire Time Jesse was spreading him open, and had added a third finger.

Thomas arched his back and gasped loudly when Jesse's finger stroked across his prostate. His hands shook. He wanted to touch himself so badly, but he knew that Jesse had a plan.

"What's the matter Darling? Can't open your last gift?" Thomas couldn't move his arms. They were bracing him against the bed, and even then they shook uncontrollably. Jesse spare hand reached up and ran along Thomas throat, running down and pinching at his right nipple. He ran his thumb over the nub, enjoying the low whines and rumbles and even what sounded like purring noises that Thomas made. Jesse's own cock pressed against his boxers, and a white stain of his own lay on the leg.

Jesse shifted his position slightly, and Thomas could feel his cock pressing against Thomas's butt. His chest hair rubbed against Thomas's back as he pressed himself closer to the smaller man. Thomas pushed against Jesse, rubbing his read against Jesse's cock and Jesse groaned at the sensation.

"So that's how you want to play it? Okay. I have another gift for you. On the bed. Eyes closed. No peaking. Hands against your side. Do. Not. Touch. Yourself." Jesse voice was firm and commanding, and Thomas nodded. Jesse withdrew his fingers slowly, the bump of each knuckle causing Thomas to whine as they escaped. Thomas climbed onto the bed, laying on his back with his at his sides. Now that he was alone again he shivered. Cold air swirled in the room and aside from hearing movement in the room there was nothing. Cold air licked at Thomas's bare skin and tickled, and Thomas shivered again.

"Okay, open your eyes." Thomas did, and in Jesse's hand were, strange things. They looked like two sets of handcuffs, but they were leather ringed. One ring was bigger than the other on each of them.

"What are those?"

"These are toys. Keeps my hands free, and your hands occupied. So I can play with you, without interference." Thomas smiled, but the handcuffs were still... Jesse understood Thomas's hesitation.

"I know. Remember the safe word. Green." And he moved the handcuffs to Thomas. "Yellow." And he moved the handcuffs away from Thomas. "Or red." And he set the handcuffs beside him. Thomas looked at the handcuffs, then at Jesse and nodded.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"I mean... yellow?." Jesse smiled.

"Is that a question? This is very important Thomas, you have to know what you want so I can give it to you. If you don't want to then we can go on without them." Thomas hesitated, staring at the restraints.

"Maybe something... less." He said, glancing up at Jesse. Jesse smiled warmly at him.

"Of course. I have some rope as well, among other things." Thomas nodded, and Jesse didn't move.

"Red, yellow or gr-"

"Green!" Thomas said quickly. Jesse smiled and got up, withdrawing a small length of soft rope. Thomas lay back, and Jesse deftly tied his hands together by the wrists, connecting it to the head of his bed. Thomas wasn't speaking, and Jesse looked down on him. His face held little expression, and Jesse could see how knotted his muscles were. He was tense, and Jesse trailed his fingertips down from his wrists to his ribs, connecting his hands under Thomas chin and kissing his boyfriend. He retrieved the second length, and heard Thomas speak.

"Red!" Jesse froze, immediately turning to Thomas.

"Should I untie you?" Thomas froze, but shook his head.

"No... just the hands for tonight... leave my legs alone." Jesse paused, then nodded. he discarded the second length of rope, and sat back on his knees. Seeing Thomas splayed below him, soft features moving ever so gently. His hands rubbing against the binds the held him in bondage. His long legs rubbing against each other, muscles tensing and loosening. Jesse smiled and lay down next to Thomas.

"Are they too tight? Any chaffing?" Thomas shook his head no.

"I need you to say it, if you can't I'll take them off."

"No, they're fine. Green." Thomas turned his hands into fists, then loosened them again. He let out shaking breathes, and tugged against the restraints.

"Say the word and they come off. Okay?" Thomas looked up at Jesse and nodded.

"Green." Thomas had never been willingly vulnerable before. Not like this.

"No need to be nervous darlin. I'm going to take good care of." Thomas looked up at him, glaring.

"I'm not nervous!" He said it too aggressively, his voice cracking slightly as he said so.

"Course not. So these rosy cheeks, all this shaking, watching your eyes flutter ain't for me?" Jesse leaned over Thomas, pressing his body against the smaller mans and began kissing Thomas. It was slow, but soon Thomas began to forget about the restraints. Jesse reached down and began to run his hands along Thomas's body. He ran his fingers up and down Thomas's ribs, and Thomas giggled quietly at the tickling sensation.

"Oh. Ticklish are we?"

"No." Jesse's smiled widened.

"Really." He ran his hands along Thomas's ribs again, tickling him. Thomas began laughing, though he struggled to suppress them. Jesse continued like that, and Thomas struggled against the bonds, laughing uncontrollably and shaking.

"Please! Jesse! Stop!" In between laughs. "I'm gonna peeeee!" Jesse let go, and pulled his hands away. Thomas continued to laugh and shake for another minute settling down.

"Is... is that what you wanted to do? Come on Jesse." Thomas teased. "I thought you had something more intimate planned." Jesse looked down at Thomas.

"Oh really? And what is it that you want me to do? With you so incapacitated? Alright. What is it that you exactly want me to do?" Thomas opened his mouth, but stuttered. 

"You know, I want to... do the stuff you did last time."

"Thomas, you have to be specific. Communication is critical."

"I want you. To, put your... don't make me say it." Jesse was laughing at this point.

"What's the matter." Jesse ran his fingers over Thomas half erect cock. "This guy knows what he wants." Thomas moaned.

"Keep doing that." Jesse did so, slowly stroking Thomas.

"Doing what?"

"Damnit Jesse. I want you to fuck me. I agh-" Jesse began stroking faster. "Shit- I want you to, spread me open and fuck me. And make me whine like you did, earlier, and last time!" Jesse smiled and continued stroking Thomas, steadily gaining speed. Thomas whined low in his throat and bucked his hips. His cock began leaking again, small goblets of cum bubbling over, off of his tip and onto his shaft, which only added to the sensations of pleasure. Thomas struggled against his bonds, regretting agreeing to them. He had to settle for bucking his hips and enjoying the feelings, before they were cut off. Thomas opened his eyes and looked at Jesse, who was wiping away the pre-cum onto the bed sheet.

"Why'd you stop?" He panted out.

"This isn't ending that quickly." Jesse took the bottle of lube and squirted some generously on his fingers. "Last time I nursed two orgasms out of you, this time I'm hoping to do the same." Jesse's first two fingers slipped in with minimal resistance, Thomas taking his fingers up to the third knuckle. Taking his finger out then pushing in Jesse began to finger him. After just a minute Jesse added his third finger, resuming his earlier ministrations. Thomas arched his back and whined. His cock bobbed in the air, swinging as Thomas struggled. Thomas's hands jerked against the handcuffs, fist clenching and unclenching. His head pushed backwards against the pillow, showing off Thomas neck and a few of the red marks and hickeys left by Jesse.

Jesse took the lube and lubed up his second hand. When done he took his two index fingers and slowly began to stretch open. Thomas whimpered and shook, but remained still. He cried out when Jesse tried to stretch it to much as a painful burning sensation hit him.

"Yellow!" Jesse slowly brought his two fingers together before withdrawing. "No! Keep-keep fingering me! Just don't stretch me that much. It... it hurts." Jesse smiled wider and nodded.

"See? Communication is critical." Jesse saw the box on the ground, and got an idea. Getting up quickly and getting a knife from his drawer he heard Thomas say.

"Absolutely not!"

"It's not for you." Thomas stared at him with the weapon. What was Jesse doing? His thoughts strayed to what horrible thing Jesse may be planning, but to his relief the weapon was put away. then he heard a buzzing sound. It disappeared quickly though. Thomas tried to sit up, but Jesse's hand appeared on his shoulder, holding him down.

"Stay still. You're gonna love this." And Thomas felt something cold press against his entrance. He shivered, but felt it slip in without much resistance. It pushed inside of him, and pressed inside him. Thomas moaned and his hips bucked upwards. Jesse's thumb rubbed against Thomas Perineum, causing Thomas to buck more. Then, Jesse turned on the vibrator in the toy. Thomas sat up as much as he could when he did that, a loud moan escaping his lips before he fell back against the pillow, half formed attempts at words. Jess leaned over and began placing kisses all over Thomas chest and abdomen, trailing kisses around the developing muscles until he rested at Thomas's nipple. Jesse ran his tongue over the sensitive nub while he began thrusting the toy in and out of Thomas.

Thomas whimpered again, louder this time. One of Jesse's hands moved the toy, half out, half in. His mouth played with one nipple, and his hand played with the other nipple. Thomas shook from stimulation, and he cried out, bucking his hips forward. It wasn't an orgasm, but it was... similar. A burst of pleasure as the toy rubbed against Thomas's prostate that forced a proto orgasm. Whatever it was Thomas pushed his hips outward, his anus locking onto the toy so hard that Jesse couldn't move it, his head pushed against the pillow and showed of his neck. Jesse watched as he keeled, counting the number of marks on his body, deciding which ones he wanted to kiss first. When Thomas finally goes limp and gasps out Jesse withdraws the toy. It's dripping from lube. He turns it off, but before setting it down Thomas placed it next to Thomas's neglected cock. Jesse slowly pushed himself into the now puffy ring of muscle, watching in delight as Thomas takes him three quarters without resistance. Despite all the teasing and gentle working open of his hole he's still delightfully tight and Jesse can feel his cock being drawn deeper.

Then, Jesse turned the dildo back on, next to Thomas's cock. Jesse's hand held them together. Thomas immediately sat partially up, curling into himself and crying out loudly. He tightened around Jesse, who groaned and had to prevent himself from falling. Thomas whimpered and moaned greedily, begging Jesse for release with wanton abandon. Jesse's body longed to fuck him. Jesse body was wound tight as he fought himself. The figure below him made his heart soar, and his cock pulse.

Thomas missed feeling his hands roam over his muscled body, feeling the grooves the muscles made. He enjoyed running his own fingers across Jesse's few scars. He enjoyed feeling his tight abs. Last time his hands had roamed across Jesse's body, taking him in and feeling every groove and knot. As he felt Jesse pushing deeper he moaned loudly.

"Pl-ple- Jesse! SO cl- Please!" Jesse bent himself at an awkward angle, but kissed his boyfriend on the lips. Thomas squeezed his eyes shut and fought Jesse for control. Jesse fought back, tongues dueling the others. Slowly pulling back out and thrusting back in Thomas went limp. Jesse smiled. He felt his cock twitch inside his boyfriend. Jesse's heart soared at how much Thomas trusted him, and Jesse was going to pay him back for this trust. He removed the dildo, delighting in the whimper Thomas let out. It felt to soon. Jesse knew he could draw more out of Thomas, gather more in his cock before letting him cum. He stroke the organ roughly, feeling Thomas buck and struggle under him.

"Don't squirm so much darlin." Thomas grunted in response, but managed a gentle growl. Jesse laughed and returned to kissing Thomas. He let his hands wander across his boyfriends body. He loved the scars Thomas had, and he caressed them. With every touch he hoped in the back of his mind that if he poured enough love onto the wounds then Thomas would grow to love them as Jesse did. Thomas whined again, deep and throaty into the kiss. Jesse broke it off with hesitation, glancing up at Thomas's hands. They gripped the rope fiercely, knuckles pale. Jesse glanced down as well. Thomas cock strained and bobbed madly. Jesse had been slowly thrusting into his boyfriend for to long now. He sat up, taking Thomas hips and moved backwards, only the head of his cock was inside Thomas. He smiled.

"Ready?" Thomas nodded, dazed and already in a haze of pleasure he nodded.

"Green." Smiling wider Jesse began to push into Thomas. His thrusts were slow and rolling, going from balls deep and totally sheathed to just the tip of his cock. His hips rolled slowly, and Jesse fought to restrain himself. Thomas watched the struggle in Jesse face. His eyes squeezed shut, his muscles taught as he fought the urge to thrust freely.

"Jesse." He almost moaned the name. Every muscle in Jesse's body balled as he opened his eyes. Thomas struggled against the restraints, baring his throat and biting his lower lip sultrily. Jesse lost it at the sight of that. Seeing Thomas, pale and wanting. He began thrusting harder. Thomas whimpered from it, his body struggling and drawing in more pleasure. Both men gasped loudly. Jesse felt Thomas tighten around his cock. Jesse's cock pulsed. He ached to cum. His cock was twitching madly, his thrusts becoming erratic. With a final gasp he thrust as deep as he could into Thomas. He opened his eyes wide, pleasure exploding around him as he felt the first fires of orgasm begin to leave him. Below him whined loudly, shaking his head.

"Jesse! Please!" Jesse realized he'd been neglecting his boyfriend, so entranced in the sight of him. He grabbed Thomas's cock and began jerking him off, expertly wrapping his fingers around him. He rubbed his thumb over Thomas's slit, feeling pre cum sliding out past him. Rubbing his palm over the tip of his cock he wet his hand and resumed jerking his boyfriend off. Thomas let out a gasp, tightening around Jesse. Both men saw stars as there pleasure become one, orgasming at the same time. Thomas felt spurts of thick, hot cum enter him, and he moaned. It was hot. Jesse felt Thomas's come collect on his hand, running freely. He both gasped and moaned, orgasms removing any other thought from their minds. Thomas finished first, gasping loudly and babbling. Jesse heard bits of it and couldn't help but smile as he heard bits of French in the babbling. Jesse collected the semen in his hands, losing little of it. Bringing it to his mouth Jesse swallowed the sweet liquid, smiling widely. Thomas panted, his cheeks bright red. The color flush ran down to his neck. Thomas face was still contorted and he whined loudly again. Jesse leaned over and began kissing at his neck, sucking and giving little love bites. Thomas finally went totally limp in Jesse grasp, but he still held Jesse's cock hostage. Not that Jesse was going to complain.

When Jesse finished cumming he slowly removed his cock, which was already wilting. Thomas mumbled quietly, inaudibly. Jesse carefully undid the bindings, releasing Thomas hands. The wrists were puffy red from rubbing against the soft material. Jesse quickly grabbed the bottle of lotion from next to the bed, and began rubbing some into the irritated flesh. Thomas sighed and pushed his forehead against Jesse's. Jesse intertwined his legs with Thomas's, holding his hands close. Thomas kissed Jesse on the mouth, tasting his own cum on Jesse's lips. Jesse wrapped his hands around Thomas. who returned the favor and the two continued kissing. When they separated to take a breathe Thomas spoke.

"I thought you wanted to get multiple orgasms out of me?"

"Shh. Kiss now, sass later."


	17. Pissed Pants and Pissed off People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LOOONG chapter. Hope you like it.

Fareeha sat down next to Thomas, but as she went to take of bite of macaroni and cheese she paused and chuckled quietly. Thomas looked at her, as did the rest of the table.

"What's funny?" Asked Hana.

"Thomas. Your uh, well..." She laughed and tapped the side of her neck. Thomas reached up and touched the same spot on his neck. He felt nothing. Fareeha sighed, took out her phone and took a picture of the side of Thomas's neck. Thomas looked at the people arrayed at the table, and each one had no idea what Fareeha was doing. Then, Fareeha showed Thomas the phone. On it was the top half of a hickey, the bottom half being hidden by the tall collar of his shirt.

"What?!" Fareeha suppressed laughter as Thomas adjusted his collar. "Is it hidden?" He whispered. Fareeha continued to smile widely and nodded. Thomas sighed. Everyone at the table looked at Thomas, and of course most of them new what he had tried to hide.

"Oohh someone had a fun night." Said Hana. Thomas shook his head and took a bite of his food.

"Come on, give us the deats!" Thomas looked at Hana.

"Jesse and I. That's all the 'deats' you need. Didn't we do this last time?"

"Hey, if you fail try again. That's what video games taught me."

"Well game over." Hana snickered.

"Does that mean I have to put a quarter in you?" Chuckles and laughter broke out amongst the table.

"Okay. Let Genji return to his story." Thomas shook his head, but was smirking as well.

"Okay, so, where was I?"

"The bait..." Lena supplied

"Oh right. So, Hanzo and I are, what? Twelve? Thirteen?" Hanzo nodded. He looked like he remembered this story.

"Right. So I am baiting the line, and Hanzo is baiting his, but as he goes to bait it a fish leaps out of the water, and grabbed the bait out of Hanzo's hand. So, like a fool I grabbed at the fish, catching the tail. It thrashed around and smacked Hanzo. He reaches out to grab, tips the boat. I lean back to balance it, and the fish lands in the boat, flopping around and tips it in my favor, flipping the boat. Then, somehow, over the course of the boat flipping the bait managed to spill into Hanzo's hair. This was when he kept it shoulder length as well, so worms, bits of chum, all writhing in his hair. So every fish in the river comes swimming up, plucking at his hair and the bait trapped within. I wound up having to pull him free of the river, while he desperately fought off ferocious fish. Then, when I get him up, there's still bait fish flopping in his hair." The table laughed at the story.

"Okay." Said Hana. "I have one." Before she could start an alarm went off. Thomas groaned and hit turned it off, rising from the table with his tray.

"I'm sorry, but that's my cue." Several people groaned. It felt strangely nice to hear people be dissapointed that he would have to leave them.

"Common Thomas. One more story." He shook his head.

"As much as I would love to this is still a military. We all have responsibilities." Hana smiled.

"Speaking of which, Aragorn. Don't forget. I haven't." Thomas shook his head and left the cafeteria. He headed to a large room, scantly filled with a single large table sat at the center of the table. Thomas took a stylus, and brought up a modern map of Canada. Specifically, the Fallout Zone. A large area was expanded upon. Dozens of mountain ranges shot up, like hands reaching away from the horrible place. Deep valleys and gorges pot marked the map, like scars. Thomas swallowed, and began writing names above the mountains and ranges. It would be important to know landmarks. It may save them. He marked cities, settlements, known trade routes when he had traveled. Who knows how many were still used. He marked caves, and shaded out dead zones. He marked temperatures, altitudes and other features.

Three hours had passed before the door opened, and Jack stepped in.

"Hey kid. Brought you lunch." Thomas looked up from the map, which was now filled with varying bits of information, at Jack. Jack held two containers, similar to the ones he and Gabriel had brought a few days ago.

"Really?" Thomas checked his watch.

"Shit. What time is it?"

"About two in the afternoon. Here. It's one of my specials." Thomas accepted the container and pulled up a chair next to the large holographic table. Jack did the same.

"Thanks Jack. You didn't have to bring me food though."

"I know." Jack pulled up a chair as well. "But I wanted to. Plus it's important you eat. If you're going to go on the mission you have to be ready." Thomas paused his modification of the map and looked at jack.

"Wait. If I go? Please tell me you aren't even considering not letting me go." Jack winced.

"A few people have had concerns over your role in the mission. Despite earning our trust, you are still considered a probationary agent and-"

"A probationary agent who's gone on missions!"

"-and Ana, Angela, Gabriel, myself, Jesse and several other people have noticed a difference. You're... different about this. Ana especially noticed it." Thomas shook his head and set the sandwich aside.

"Wait, Ana showed you the polar bear right? You saw that shit, right?!"

"Yes. Some of us felt it was... incorrect. There is no registration of such a creature anywhere Overwatch can reach. And, some of the scientists say such a creature is biologically impossible."

"That's because it's artificial. Most of the monsters are. They were created by these people, and they got released into Canada to kill the human populations. So they wouldn't be such a drain on foreign aid."

"Thomas, things like that. It's, conspiracy. We believe you." Thomas gawked at Jack.

"You don't believe me, do you? You think I'm crazy." Thomas looked hurt and Jack looked away.

"No. Of course not. But, you do have problems. You admitted yourself you have large gaps in your memory. And, going through Talon, being homeless, running away from home, drugs, alcohol, smoking. All of it is traumatic to someone so young. All of it is damaging."

"Don't you fucking dare do your political talk to me!"

"Then there's the aggression." Thomas felt furious.

"So, me helping you is biting me in the ass. What a surprise. Jack." Thomas lowered his voice. "If i do not go with that team, every single member will die horribly." Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Thomas, be very careful saying things like that."

"It's true. If I don't guide you, who will?" Jack laced his fingers.

"We have a very experienced agent in the Fallout zone city of Anchorage. he's been there for seven years and you were going to assist him as a guide." Thomas was about to say something, but paused.

"Wait, Anchorage? Seven years. You're talking about Derek Bell aren't you?" Jack's mouth dropped a little, but he nodded.

"Derek Bell" Began Thomas. "Is a five foot ten inch tall man who had never once been more than a mile away from the safe zone. He will get everyone killed. I knew him. I know the safe zones. The protectors don't go outside. They sit inside and enforce the peace. They have no idea what to do outside the walls. And why would I lie about polar bears?!" Jack sighed deeply.

"It's not that we think you're lying, it's that people are questioning your mental stability and the reliability of your claims." Thomas shook his head, got up from the chair and went to a map.

"Right there!" Thomas pointed at a mountain range. "You don't believe me? Do a flyby, send some drones, look at the fucking land! I'm right. I know what these things do to people, so don't you, or anyone else tell me that everyone that has been KILLED BY THESE THINGS HAS BEEN FAKE, BECAUSE THEY AREN'T! Real people have been murdered by these things! This scar." Thomas pulled up his pant leg and showed a scar. "Is not from an imaginary animal! This" He pointed at a scar on his face. "Is not from a FAKE FUCKING ANIMAL!" Thomas's hands were shaking and his knuckles were white from gripping the edge of the table.

"If we sent a synthetic to whatever area you wanted, would it placate you."

"How synthetic?"

"Real blood, smells human, looks human, controlled virtually by a pilot."

"I pilot it. Wherever I choose. And, when I get proved right, all the cunts that called me insane, have to apologize." Jack shook his head.

"There is no way that last one will happen." Thomas sat back down.

"Maybe not. Frankly, I hope you find nothing. I hope we send that drone out there, and whatever happens to me happens. But mark these words, strange as they are, if you go through with this without me you will never see these people again." Jack noticed how serious Thomas was. There was no hint of humor, just an icy seriousness. Jack nodded and Thomas rose up from the seat.

"Now, it is not my place to tell you, but if that is all then leave. I am... busy." Jack understood, and rose up himself from the seat.

"I understand. Meet in one hour, at room forty seven. We will send a drone out, baited to lure whatever monsters inhabit the mountains." Thomas shook his head.

"Okay. Okay. I have no idea how you'll even do that, but if it's fake I will know." Jack smirked

"I believe you."

Thomas arrived ten minutes early to the room, and when he entered he found several people inside. He recognized a few, Reinhardt, Ana, Angela, but there were others. A tall Mexican man with a thick mustache and borderline neck beard. A short Asian Man with thick glasses and no hair. A few others. Not even eyebrows. Thomas entered wordlessly and took a seat offered by Ana.

"Hello Thomas. These people are people that will also be overseeing the mission, or whose departments will be involved."

"Right. And they are here because?"

"To see the results of this experiment." Thomas nodded.

"And the timeframe is? These things aren't stupid, they won't attack for no reason. It takes time to hunt for one, find it's nest and get it to attack."

"We are going to be assembled for fifteen minutes. After that we will convene if-"

"When." Thomas interrupted. Ana looked at him sternly.

"When." She acquiesced. "You have proof of there existence." Thomas nodded.

"So who's controlling this?" The people Thomas didn't recognize were talking together, and they looked at him occasionally with judgmental eyes.

"You are. It's like a video game. You control in it that chamber, hooked up to it like that simulation you train in with Lena and Fareeha and Olivia." Thomas nodded. "You will have full three hundred and sixty degree view, recording everything around you at all times." Thomas nodded again.

"Okay. Should I get ready?" Ana nodded.

"Be professional. These people are... difficult." Thomas heard a thousand words other than difficult, and most of them would get him in trouble if he said them in front of the wrong person.

"Right. And, will they see me in the chamber."

"No." The door opened and Jack stepped inside, tailed by Gabriel. "They will see the whole view on those screens." She pointed at four screens at the front of the room. In contrast to the dull grey with blue tints the black of the T.V.s stood out sorely.

"Thomas." It was Gabriel now. "Go ahead and head inside the chamber. The drone will be arriving at the general area soon." Thomas nodded.

"So Gabriel, if, say, nothing comes from this, what happens?"

"There may be a vote to find a different guide." Thomas nodded. No matter what Thomas was going on this mission. He'd stow away if he had to. He'd done it before. Stepping into the chamber Thomas felt a brief sense of weightlessness. A fluttering joyful feeling as he was sealed into total darkness, followed by an innate terror as he was suspended as such. With a flash the, the lights turned on, and natural light filtered into the chamber. He heard wind blowing, with thin flurries of snow following loftily behind. Tall trees imposed all around him, reaching into the heavens like great many fingered hands. Nearby, a lake, frozen over by the cold but still fed by a large waterfall. Aside from the sounds of nature billowing about, it was quiet, peaceful even. Train tracks lay next to a road. Both of which were mangled beyond use, and frozen solid.

Examining himself, Thomas saw the pale synthetic flesh, grown onto the skin with strands of blue twinkling underneath. The snow under his feet was relatively thin, barely reaching his ankle. The sky overhead was bright and clear, not at all foreboding. Thomas's memories spoke of a Mordor Esq place. Like hell on earth. But it occurred to him just how much memory he was missing. The level tediousness that came with survival here. And for the first time that day, whilst gazing upon the innate beauty of his surroundings, Thomas wondered if the others was right. He looked at the synthetic hands, squeezing them, testing their response to his stimulus. The no doubt biting cold was spared on this fake body but Thomas could still feel it, all these many miles away. The chill that licked at his bones and blood.

Squeezing his hands again Thomas walked to the railroad. Once, it had ferried goods across Canada, mainly the Yukon and northwest territories. Now the metal looked sad, bent out of use and rust grasping its core. Thomas scanned the treelines, but nothing was there. The sound of movement was heard, but it was small. A rabbit scurried some meters away.

'How did this drone get here so quickly?' It was possible that Symmetra's teleporting technology had brought it here. Thomas thought. He nodded and the issue, stretching his limbs to test the body.

"Any day now Mister Byron." The voice sounded off in his left ear, piercing his silence. Thomas reached up to his ear, and the synth did the same.

"I would appreciate radio silence. It is imperative." Thomas said out loud. To himself he thought- 'schmuck.' Walking up to a nearby tree, Thomas decided to do what he always did in these situations, when he was lost. He climbed a tree. The rough bark would have cut at Thomas's hands, but the synths skin did not break. He made it up, pushing through the pine needles and shoving through the thicket, before popping free of the canopy. In the distance, a mountain range stood tall. It was no more than maybe five miles, but even so close they looked larger than life, and steeper than death. To the east was the frozen tundra, void of trees or life. Not but snow would be found there, and the bones of foolish people and animals that entered. It was one of the dead zones for just that reason. Climbing down the tree Thomas considered his options. He had a time crunch. He needed to find the monsters. As he reached the bottom Thomas took a deep shuddering breathe, steadying himself. he done this before. He'd tracked and slain these beasts before. It wasn't even him there, just a fake hunk of skin and metal. He had a job to do.

Following the railway Thomas felt the familiarity of it come back to him. Walking along the train tracks, hearing the snow under every footfall crunch. For a wasteland, life abated every corner. Birds flew overhead and small rodents darted in the underbrush. A scant amount of insects fluttered about. there was no way any predator was nearby. The prey was at ease, uncomfortable at Thomas's presence but tolerant. He needed to find where the prey wasn't. Where the small predators weren't. He needed the big game. The nearby by water would be a draw, but as long as so much prey lay at ease no predator would come. The wind would carry scents with it, but only in one direction. There was little underbrush around as Thomas walked about, mainly fallen trees and tree limbs. A nearby house, which may have once been a rentable cabin on the lakefront was in shambles, its right side collapsed in burn marks claiming most of it. The victim of an impromptu fire no doubt. A Canadian flag fluttered overhead, the Maple leaf in the center ripped away, as well as three quarters of the flag itself. The pole was bent almost imperceptibly at the base, but the effect was pronounced on the twenty foot tall pole.

The next thirty minutes consisted of trudging through snow. Prey animals continued to move, at a distance but still present. Following the train tracks Thomas scanned for anything that could mean larger animal, but the troubles of old continued to haunt him. With no underbrush to find predator trails were difficult to locate. The wind and snow obscured tracks easily. The easiest way to know some sort of dangerous predator was nearby, was to know nothing else was nearby. Another way was to look for a carcass, scratches on the trees, blood on the trees, markings of some sort. As more time passed Thomas felt the time slipping away. He could almost see the people outside, shaking there heads at the 'monster hunt.' And soon there was another sound in his ear.

"Thomas. It's been over an hour. The others have left already. We believe you, but... the other directors believe a more reliable source is required for this mission." Thomas looked around him. There was nothing. No scratch marks, no blood no trails nothing. No proof. Thomas reached up to his ear.

"No, Jack. They're out here, I know it. I just... I... need more time, I can find them, I've done this before." He heard the desperation in his voice. The predators always stuck around human infrastructure. They know human traders follow the infrastructure. They stalk the prey. But still, being daylight they may not be out yet. They may be in the mountains, or a nearby cave. One way or another Thomas needed to go on this mission. One way or another. So Thomas set off, towards the mountains.

"Thomas."

"Jack. Please. I need more time, that's all." Outside Jack shook his head. Unless he was willing to fight with Thomas there was no way in hell Thomas would leave willingly.

"We knew we wouldn't be able to extract the drone anyway." Supplied Angela. "In these situations, waiting for him to give up may be better." Jack nodded.

"I'm going to stay here, see if he finds anything." Said Gabriel.

"I'll stay too." Offered Jack. And with that final words were exchanged and all but Jack and Gabriel left. When Thomas didn't find anything, they wanted to be there for him.

Three hours later.

Thomas put his hands on his knees, breathing hard and stooped over. He'd been running for about forty minutes through the woods. Infuriatingly, everywhere was prey. No monsters, no predators, no marks or signs or signals. Nothing. Still. The mountains loomed overhead, but there was no foreboding. These mountains, they were mountains. A fucking rabbit brushed up against his foot, and Thomas felt his frustration boom. He reached down to pet it but it scurried off, spooked by his movement. Thomas scratched his head, and looked around. The trees offered no signs. There was no fallen debris on the ground at all. Then, Thomas spotted it. A cave. A horrifying cave. Just the spot for monsters. Thomas moved up to the cave, but paused before entering. He looked around, that feeling of 'somethings wrong here' suddenly hitting hard. The cave looked empty, no bones on the floors, no blood anywhere. But that feeling was there. Thomas whirled around, and saw nothing. He looked up at the trees, no movement. Thomas reached over to a small control pad, and hit the night vision. The inside of the cave illuminated, still nothing. Thomas went in, forging ahead into the darkness. Another half hour of walking continued, but the connection held strong throughout. Then, he struck gold. Scratch marks. Draping along the walls of the cave. Long, congruent line that ran several feet. Made by a five fingered hand with talons. Be it polar bear or some other monster it was proof. He reached up and touched the marks, before reaching to his ear.

"See, see! I told you they're out here!"

"Thomas." It was Gabriel. He sounded sad. "A few scratches on a wall hardly proves anything. We want you to leave the cave. Begin climbing the mountain, so we can see about retrieving the drone. Thomas shook his head.

"What could do this Gabriel?!" Gabriel could tell Thomas was pissed. He usually only said Gabriel if he was pissed.

"A bear. A mountain lion. A deer that wandered in. Moose maybe? I don't know, but some claw marks on the wall are hardly proof. If you don't bring it out we'll cut connection." Thomas gawked to himself. He punched the wall, hard. The sound reverberated throughout the cave.

"FINE!" And he cut communication. Thomas walked back, occasionally banging the wall, hoping for some sort of, jumpscare maybe. A sudden burst of teeth and fangs that destroyed the drone, and validate him. Turning off the night-vision Thomas stepped into the world again. The mountain went up at stark incline at first, then evened out to better level. Thomas began the climb, reaching up and moving across the rocks. Pushing himself into a standing position Thomas felt that strange feeling again. The 'Somethings wrong sense'. Thomas looked around, but there was nothing there, again. But he noticed something. The prey, it was gone. The rabbits, the deer, the birds. They weren't there. The only thing that was on the ground was a few bits of tree debris that wasn't there before. Looking into the trees the thick foliage hid whatever made the debris. Thomas backed up, pressing his back against the rock. He gripped a stone and hurled it into the tree. It went into the tree, but failed to fall to the ground. Then, it came back. Flying back to Thomas he instinctively covered his face, but the rock was back. Picking up the rock, he saw it was covered in blood.

Looking up into the trees Thomas saw a shape shift in the foliage, and recognized it. Stepping back and pressing against the mountain Thomas zoomed in on the outline of the creature, camouflaged in the tree line. Instinct took in and Thomas raised himself up, climbing the rocks slowly, before containing himself. He needed proof, direct proof. Thomas picked up another rock and hurled it at the creature. There was a shifting in the trees, and for the briefest of moments the chameleon Esq camouflage shifted. The creature howled, a mixture between a human scream and a choked dogs howl. It reverberated and Thomas covered his ears. He could here it, see it it was right there! The thing leaped forward, powerful hind limbs pushing off and long, narrow and bony fingers with overgrown claws reaching out for Thomas's face. He screamed and fell in the chamber, drawing his bow and firing without looking. He curled up onto the ground and covered his face as wet thumps and ripping sounds reverberated through the chamber. A second screech sounded out and Thomas curled up tighter, warmth spreading along his trousers and pant legs.

Thomas whimpered, but no pain followed. No searing as claws bore into his skin, prying it apart for the soft meat underneath. No sudden emptiness as his organs voided his bodies in great lumps and wet thumps. He couldn't here anything, just his own whimpering. After some time, he realized he wasn't alone though. He felt someone holding him, and a second presence nearby. Opening his eyes Thomas realized he was being held by Jack, almost cradled. His head hurt, and one of the screens was shattered. Small words of encouragement were heard, whispered delicately by both Jack and Gabriel alike. Thomas tried to move, but Jack held him tighter.

"It's okay. You're here, you're okay. Deep breathes." Thomas did as he said, breathing slowly and calming himself down. He felt cold, even with both men pressed up against him. After some time Jack spoke.

"Thomas?" Thomas opened his mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. he shook his head, terror filling his being. He tried again.

"They're still there. I was right, they're still there." He forced the words out, and the urge to vomit increased.

"Shhh." It was Gabriel. "I know. We have you." Thomas let the two older men hold him, grateful for there presence. The face was burned into his mind though. The lunge. He realized quietly. He'd seen it before, but Thomas had been the victim of the lunge. The signature move of the Harceleur (Stalker.) Thomas rested his face against Jacks arm. It occurs to him that he peed his pants, and red shame filled him. His heart beat to bursting, but slowly he felt the nausea leak away and he could breathe again. Gabriel hand rubbed reassuringly on the back of Thomas hand, and the red in his cheeks intensified.

"I uh. I think I'm good now."

"Are you sure? You were out for a little while there." Thomas blinked slowly and moved his leg from the position it was in.

"I-I was?"

"Ten minutes kid. We heard you scream in the other room. You were totally unresponsive when we got here." Somehow more embarrassment filled him. Here he was, supposed to be impressing them and he's pissing his pants and passing out and-

"Stop it Thomas." Thomas looked up at him. Had he said that out loud? "I know what you're thinking kid. Stop. We can deal with that later." The two men held him like that, and Thomas relaxed into their grip again. The cold was leaving, and Thomas finally controlled his shaking. When he knew he was better Jack helped him up. Then Thomas noticed the incredibly obvious stain on his pant leg. Shame turned into mortification as he looked up.

"I'll get you a change of clothes kid. Wait here." And Gabriel left the chamber while Jack escorted Thomas to the main room. It felt really nice to be under their attention like this, and a part of the red in his cheeks was because he still had a crush on both of them.

"Should I... sit... on the... floor?" Jack shook his head.

"Sit down kid. We won't tell anyone, plus you're not the only one who was scared. Gabriel and I." Thomas sat in a chair next to Jack. Jack leaned in. "We didn't even see it. Focusing on the screens, looking for anything, and we completely missed it. When it jumped out Gabriel tipped backwards in the chair." Thomas pointed at a chair, that Thomas noticed was on the ground, sideways.

"But... we need to talk Thomas. We're going to call a second meeting of directors and show the footage. And, if you'll still go, I can make sure you go." Thomas hesitated. He'd been terrified of the prospect of returning. How many people were still looking for him? How many kidnappers and people would recognize him? How many people were even still alive? But the thought of Ana, or Fareeha or Gabriel. Them being the synth. He had to be there.

"I'll go. I want to. You said it yourself, you never even saw it." Jack nodded. He looked like he understood, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

"Alright. The directors may still vote on a new guide." Jack warned. Thomas nodded.

"I sense a but..."

"But, I can still pull a few strings, if your certain." Thomas nodded vigorously.

"I. Am. Certain."

Later.

Watching the video, Thomas found a strange enjoyment in watching, yet knowing what was going to happen.

'If only I could put some creepy music on. Next time.' He thought. Tense hands held the table or fiddled, and Ana looked back at Thomas periodically. he found it strangely, uncharacteristically difficult to meet and hold the gaze. She had a concern in her eyes, like she wished Thomas hadn't found anything. It felt nice to have someone look out for him, but not when it got in the way. Throughout the caves people watched, and waited. The tension built in the air, and the other directors and council members, were uncharacteristically silent. They new no meeting would have been called unless something had been found. When Thomas began climbing the rocks, a few breathes were released. The tension could be felt leaking away. As if a window had been opened in the room. Then, the screen paused.

"I would implore everyone gathered here, to pay attention to the left most screen." Said Jack. Then the video resumed. It paused again, just after Thomas threw a rock in the trees.

"Anyone? Anyone see, what Thomas managed to see? He's looking right at it." The video unpaused again, and as the rock flew back, this time bloodied the directors began to look concerned. When the second rock struck the Harceleur Angela covered her mouth, as did the bald Asian man. The Harceleur screamed and Thomas shuddered, feeling Gabriel's hand on his shoulder. His thumb rubbed calm circles in Thomas's back.

The Harceleur Screeched and almost everyone covered there ears. When it leaped a collective gasp filled the room. The sound of tearing and wet thumps filled the room and neckbeard gagged, waving at the screen as if that would make it go away. The screen paused, then rewound. It paused as the Harceleur was mid leap, in the clearest image it could. Small eyes that could widen drastically for night environments and shrink in the day gleamed pure white, like an albinos. Half foot long serrated claws designed for ripping free chunks of flesh extended, instinctively seeking its' victims neck. It's flesh was taut against bone and muscle, no fat present on any of it. It's skin was human, and hairless.

'So that's what it looks like.' Thought Thomas. People said you only ever saw it's natural skin if you were about to be killed by it. Several of the directors spoke, glancing at the image and at Thomas. After several minutes of discussion they disassembled and returned to their seats.

"After, considerations. And given a... show of... talents on Mr. Byron's part. We have decided that he would make an excellent ASSISTANT to the chosen guide." Everyone of them nodded to each other in approval.

"Very good. Then the previously established operation is to be reinstated?" Asked Jack. More looks were exchanged, but reluctant nods were drawn from each one of the directors.

"Excellent."

Later

Ana intercepted Thomas in the halls a few minutes after the meeting was over. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say. Thomas... he reminded her more and more of Axzim. (It's pronounced AXE-ZEEM) Ana's son. For a very brief moment Ana had truly wondered if Thomas could have been her long dead son. But that hopeful glimpse had been quickly squashed. Axzim didn't have brown hair. He didn't have Hazel eyes, he wasn't Canadian. And his DNA tests showed that he was related to nobody. But still, Thomas reminded Ana of Axzim in so many ways.

It was a variety of things. Little quirks and habits. The way he would pause reading a book, put it down and look off in a different direction, considering what he had read. The way he got along with Fareeha was similar. Thomas, mostly introverted, being taken someplace by Fareeha to do something he would ultimately enjoy was the same way her and Axzim played together as children. Fareeha had taken Thomas with her and several other to play hockey. Apparently the best part of that was watching Thomas go to run for something, and start running in place because he couldn't skate.

Ana hadn't discussed it with her daughter, but she could see Fareeha acted sisterly around him. She ruffled his hair and teased him, poking fun whenever his voice cracked or he said something in a Canadian accent. It was nice to see, but it hurt all the same.

Now the boy she had begun to consider a son to her was going on the most dangerous mission in years, as well as several other members of her family. Fareeha, Lena, Olivia, Angela, Thomas, Gabriel. There were approximately twenty other agents that would either depart with them or meet the group in Anchorage. When she found Thomas, it occurred that she didn't know what to say. She had hoped he would give up. now, standing in front of him, Ana found words failed her. She just reached forward and hugged him. Thomas still froze up when someone hugged him, but this time he was just confused.

"Uh, Ana. Are you okay? I mean, I'm not complaining but you usually have a reason to hug me." Ana thought about when Fareeha said she wanted to join the Egyptian Military. Fareeha had thought she was dissapointed, everyone knew Ana didn't want to risk losing Fareeha. It took Ana a long time, too long in her own opinion, to realize that the world was dangerous, and no matter what the world was dangerous. Trying to guilt Fareeha out of doing what she wanted because it was dangerous was a horrible thing that nearly drove them apart. It had taken Fareeha being promoted into Overwatch before the two had talked again and made up. Ana wanted so badly to tell Thomas not to go, but just like Fareeha he was stubborn, and asking him not to go would amount to nothing other than making Thomas feel guilty. So, she said what she wished she said to Fareeha all those years ago.

"I'm so proud of you." Thomas blinked in surprise and patted Ana awkwardly on the shoulder. Usually, hugging back would be the thing to do, but now he wasn't sure.

"I'm gonna be honest, do I hug you back in a situation like this? Or is this a comfort thing?" Ana laughed and shook her head.

"I just... I needed this." Thomas nodded.

"Comfort thing. Got it" Ana smiled into his shoulder and hugged him tighter

Later

"Darlin, I'm sure certain you look amazing." Jesse heard Thomas's voice in the bathroom call back to him.

"I look so much worse now. I don't wanna go out." Fareeha was sitting on the bed, smiling.

"Come on Thomas. We all know you aren't going to look like him."

"Did we have to die the hair black?" Now Lena laughed.

"It's too late now. Come on out, we want to see it!" Thomas groaned and opened the door. He was regretting his choice so much now. His hair was temporarily died dark black, and he had on a very light form of Gondor Armor with a cloak behind him. Thomas had borrowed make up to get parts of his face correct, but had applied it himself. He'd gotten good at using makeup to cover up various bruises and other marks on his skin. The armor was too shiny and his hair felt gritty thanks to the dye. The armor consisted of a breastplate with Gondors white tree insignia on it that was a dark blue and grey color. He had on shinguard's, arm guards, shoulder guards, and thin mesh connecting all of it. All of it was colored the same dark blue and grey. He either bought or made the armor, so it all fit well and since it wasn't iron it was light and the mesh made it breathable. He had a scabbard at his hip side with a model Gondor sword in it, plus tall boots on and gloves. He had a tight fitting black jumpsuit underneath the armor. He stood straight up, trying to preserve some measure of dignity. The three either gasped or covered their mouths to hide their smiles.

They had costumes as well, and it made him feel better. Fareeha was covered in dark makeup and eyeliner, making her appear possessed. She also had fake fangs in her mouths that fit awkwardly to make her seem like a vampire. Jesse had gone full Van Helsing. Apparently this year medieval and mythical was the theme. Jesse had on the full Van Helsing attire, with real stakes on his person and fake silver bullets... that may be real now that Thomas got a good look at them. Tracer had on a sort of Bat Girl theme. She had mesh connected to her, from her elbows frothing down to the hips that spread like the mesh on a bats wings when she extended her arms. Her Chronal accelerator, which was a small bracelet on her left wrist, was cleverly hidden by some long sleeves, a faint blue glow under the black clothing was all that remained.

Lena spoke first. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She fell backwards on the bed, kicking her legs. Thomas felt heat go to his cheeks in embarrassment. Jesse was smiling as well, but Thomas could tell he liked it. Fareeha was standing there, a hand at her chin, staring at Thomas. Jesse walked up and put his arm around Thomas. He was careful to avoid the model shield strapped to Thomas back. Thomas also had a Gondorian Helmet dangling from the side opposite of his sword. Jesse kissed Thomas on the cheek, right on the reddest part of his cheek.

"You look great with black hair. Though I prefer the original. And, I do love a man in armor." He teased. Lena got over her laughing fit and spoke.

"You-you! You look like- Aren't you a little short to be a soldier?" Thomas recognized the line.

"Oh shut up Lena. You look like you went out with Nosferatu on a date and he said no." Jesse smirked and Lena laughed. Fareeha laughed as well, returning to normal.

"We should get going. The others will be waiting for us." The others consisted of Ana, Reinhardt, Jack, Amelie, Olivia and Gabriel. Walking through the door way Thomas was the last one through, and was yanked backwards when his cloak was snagged in the closing door.

"ACK! Jesse!" Jesse turned quickly, and began laughing.

"Don't laugh you dickhead! Unlock the door!" Thomas was stuck at an awkward angle, with his cloak caught near the top by his neck and him unable to reach the panel. Jesse walked up and hit the open door button, and the door dispensed Thomas's cloak and him with it, and left him having to gather himself up in front of a very amused group.

When Ana saw Thomas, she covered her mouth and quietly slid out of view of Thomas and the others, hidden behind Reinhardt. Thomas, with the black died hair, reminded her of Axzim so much. The goofy smile, all dressed up. It was like the last Halloween that Ana had shared with her whole Family. Her husband, Cedric, A man who was 6ft even with jet black hair, her son Axzim, who had similar hair as his father and the cutest button nose and dimples, her daughter Fareeha and herself. Ana wanted to get a second DNA test. Even though she knew they weren't related. Ever since meeting Thomas she wanted to have her son back. More than ever. It was a strange feeling, like the urge to be... motherly. It's hard to describe. Thinking about Axzim and Cedric still brought tears to her eyes.

They had gone to Denmark for one Christmas, the four of them. It had been beautiful, Copenhagen was cascaded in lights. Ana still remembered the exact moment when everything went wrong. Fareeha was chasing Axzim through the snow, and he had fallen. When he tried to get up Fareeha had tackled him. Cedric went to collect the children while Ana paid for some ice cream for the four of them. A gentle snow fell and Fareeha ran up to her. She had a large flower in her hands and was talking excitedly.

"Mom! Mom mom! Look! It fell from the trees and and and landed in my hair!" Ana bent over.

"Ohh, that means the trees like you!" Fareeha's eyes widened.

"Really?" Ana chuckled and stood up to take the food. Cedric was walking towards us Axzim on his shoulders. And then the explosions started. A random tree in the park was uprooted and people began screaming. Ana picked up Fareeha and ran to Cedric.

"Mooooom" Axzim pointed to a building as it collapsed in flame. On a nearby hill Ana could see a fire fight going on. The omnics had launched a surprise attack to capture the entrance to the Baltic sea. Running through the streets Ana drew her pistol that she always kept and fought to go to the shelter. Ana led her family through the street, away from any fighting. It was everywhere. Omnics stormed into apartments, gathering civilians and prisoners into courtyards and parks, then executing all of them. Ana had called Jack and Reinhardt to get Overwatch here, but they were twenty minutes out at least.

Ana made a mistake at that moment. She went into an alley. Two bastion units were sweeping the surface street. Ana led her family into the alley. Several more omnics entered the alley at the same time, blocking their escape. Cedric grabbed Axzim and went right. Ana went left with Fareeha as bullets fill the alley. Cedric shouted at her from the other side.

"Go! Take Fareeha! I have Axzim! We'll meet at the shelter!" He put a fist over his heart and blew her a kiss. "I love you. We will meet again!" And he picked up Axzim to enter the building. That was the last time she ever saw Axzim or Cedric. Two days later, Ana had found their bodies. They were in the basketball court, just outside the entrance to the shelter. Ana and Fareeha had hid in a cellar with a kind family. The omnics had burnt the bodies of everyone they killed. The only reason Ana knew that it was Cedric and Axzim was because Cedric's wedding ring was on one of the corpses, and still clutched in his arms was a small children that had Axzim's burnt necklace on. All the corpses were burnt beyond recognition.

Ana still blamed herself. If she had gone to the shelter, pulled Cedric to the left, done anything different... her boys may be alive still. She blinked away tears and stepped towards her truck, pretending to adjust something. She was certain no one noticed her until she heard Thomas behind her.

"Hey Ana. You okay?" Ana turned and looked up at Thomas. He was smiling and the helmet obscured most of his face. His mouth, chin and eyes were the only bits not covered by the helmet. He was already young at 18 years old, but between his scars being covered by and the fact that when he smiled he look younger he could have passed for a sixteen years old.

'He looks really handsome.' Thought Ana.

"I'm fine Thomas." The left side of his face lifted up slightly, in what Ana could only assume was him raising his eyebrow. his actual eyebrows were covered by the helm. The movement caused the helmet to pitch forward and fall over his eyes, covering them. Thomas frowned and reached up to adjust the helmet. Ana smiled at it.

Reinhardt had seen Ana duck behind him. He figures it has something to do with Axzim, and he let Thomas go to her. He smiled when he heard her laughing, and was happy to see his decision payed off. He stepped forward and clapped Thomas on the back with his huge hand, pushing Thomas forward, knocking his helmet back down his face and causing a loud banging sound as his shield banged against the metal armor.

"Don't worry Thomas. You'll grow into that armor. Why, when I was a boy like you I was could barely even hold my hammer up with both hands." Thomas rolled his eyes. Reinhardt loved telling stories like that. Usually they were longer, more drawn out and funnier.

"I'm hardly a boy Reinhardt. I'm eighteen. I can drink anywhere in the world, and go in the military." Reinhardt chuckled and patted Thomas on the shoulder.

"You still have a long way to go Thomas. Why, when I was eighteen I had to wrestle a giant bear with-"

"Um, Reinhardt, sweetie, we should get going." Said Ana, sparing Thomas from a longer story than the last one.

"Ah, yes. We should!" And he piled into Ana's truck. Thomas watched it drop drastically under his weight, going down from an eight foot tall truck to a seven foot tall truck. Thomas looked at Ana with his mouth open.

"Upgraded suspension." She mouthed, smiling back. Thomas went to get in the truck but Jesse grabbed him from behind.

"Oh no. Seniors in that car, Juniors in ours." And walked him to a second smaller vehicle. Somehow Thomas, with all his armor on, wound up in the rear middle seat, sitting awkwardly with his back straight up. It was definitely Olivia's car. A low hanging sports car with neon purple lights inside and a pink spoiler. The shift had a little skull on it and the seats looked like leather, but Thomas could not feel them through his gloves. The only bit of skin exposed were his eyes and chin. Luckily the suit was still fairly breathable, and the ride didn't last long. As he climbed out of the car he managed to hit his head twice on the stupid handles above the door. The building they stood in front of was different than the fancy Gala building. It was dark, and the security was for some reason more intense than the Gala. THe building also had several stories, but was black with tinted windows that let no light in.

The inside had tables as well, but these weren't set with dining ware. There was a single table tucked away covered in snack foods, alcohol and various drinks. Lucio stood on a podium, playing music and talking to someone else. When Thomas stepped in he saw Torbjorn and Agnela nearby with a few other people. Thomas had to restrain his laughter.

"What the, what happened to you two?" Angela's face turned red.

"This is why I don't gamble." She had a bow on her back and a quiver at her side, with robes on and ear extensions that made her look like an elf from Lord of the rings. Her hair was let down and rested near her shoulders.

"I would have won but Reinhardt cheats at checkers." Reinhardt smiled and clapped his armor clad friend on the back. Torbjorn had on what looked like Norse armor with dual axes on his back. He was dressed like a dwarf.

"Yes we have the elf archer, the dwarf mage smith, the human shields man and me, the leader, the hero!" He laughed heartily while the rest of his group frowned. Something clicked in Thomas.

"You made Hana bet that!" Reinhardt smiled and shrugged.

"Hey she's a clever girl. Maybe I just gave her an idea. Hmmm?" Thomas shook his head and looked around. He recognized absolutely no one here. Somehow everyone had dispersed already. Even Reinhardt, a seven foot tall man in armor, was gone. For a brief moment panic rose in his throat. He felt ridiculous in this armor. he wanted it off, he wanted away from here. He hated parties like this, where he knew no one. He just got here and he wanted to leave, to curl up in bed and lie there. Next to Jesse. Thomas busied himself walking, politely going past people and avoiding any looks from people. The deeper into the building he went the more he wanted to run away. He felt like he couldn't breathe and took off the helmet, attaching it to his side waist and letting it dangle. 

Luckily for Thomas, he was found by Gabriel just before he had a panic attack.

"There you are kid. You slipped away from us."

"Yeah, I uh, I got got cut off." Gabriel raised an eyebrow, noticing Thomas's nervous demeanor.

"You okay kid?" Thomas nodded and the helmet pitched forward again.

"Yeah. I'm uh, I never went to things like these. I'm..." He lowered his voice. "My kind, aren't welcome." Gabriel knew what he meant by my kind. Mutants. Omnics were easily the most hated people in the world, but mutants were a close second. The unpredictability of them scared people. They could be like Thomas, they could Heal instantly, some could summon fire, some had supernatural control of elements. They scared everyone, and in many countries mutants are taken by the governments, never to be seen again. Gabriel would never let that happen to Thomas. Ever. But he understood why he was scared and nervous.

"Thomas. If you want to go you can tell me. I'll pack it up and take you home. No questions." Thomas looked surprised.

"Really?" Gabriel nodded and Thomas smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. I'll stay. See if it's entertaining." Gabriel nodded and began to lead Thomas back to there little group. Everyone was in the corner where several tables had been pushed together. Cups of various drinks, most of which were definitely alcoholic, were already drained. The music had begun picking up and several more ambitious people were already going to the dance floor. It was a knockout party.

4 hours later.

Parties were not something Thomas liked. the music was loud, and Thomas enjoyed sitting back at the table, nursing drinks and talking. Amelie joined him in staying mostly sober and talking. Everyone else however, went a little... overboard. A few people were partying hard. Loud music played. Thomas was totally out of his element. Jesse had gone off, called over by some friends he hadn't seen in an unknown amount of time. He was sweet though, and only left after Thomas assured him several times he could sit in a seat and talk to his friends without hurting himself.

A few people Thomas didn't know came up, greeting Lena mainly. Lena tried to introduce people to Thomas, but unlike Amelie, who could deftly hold a conversation, Thomas found himself totally unable to communicate with these people. They talked about sports mainly, and Lena seemed excited and Amelie understood. Thomas cracked two jokes, but both were met with indifference and silence. Thomas scooted away, pushing himself out of the conversation and downing the rest of his drink. It was sweet and made Thomas feel warm inside. He excused himself to get another one and maybe find some new company. Maybe Jesse's friends would be better company. At least they probably enjoyed fighting and shooting. Thomas could argue which guns were better at different things with people. He was good at arguing.

However, on his way to the drink table a beautiful women cut him off, stepping in front of him. She was easily six foot two, muscular with nearly chiseled features. Shoulder length brown hair and perfect teeth. Expertly applied makeup. Tight clothes that revealed the top of an impressively large rack that usually a college sophomore would wear, not a soldier in Overwatch. And she wore the Lieutenant pin on her shoulder proudly, displaying it to everyone who saw.

"Hey there cutie. What's a young soldier like you doing in a hostile place like this?" Her voice was sweet and drenched in honey, but Thomas found it revolting. The way she spoke reminded him of Jesse, but not at all like him. Jesse was sweet, he looked Thomas in the eye while talking. He was... better. This girl looked Thomas up and down, seemingly imagining what he looked like without his clothes on. He was glad the armor covered his crotch, and that the suit didn't give him a moose knuckle. Her eyes shown deep blue, like Jacks. But unlike Jack her eyes shown greedily, like a predator spotting her prey. It made Thomas shiver and want to leave even more.

"I'm uh, just looking for my friends." She showed off her perfect pearly white teeth in a smile.

"You know I was looking for a friend to. We should look together." She took his hand but Thomas yanked it away and stepped back.

"Nah." His voice cracked a little, and Thomas knew he was probably blushing and sending all the wrong signals to this women.

"Awww. Don't be shy cutie. I don't bite." She bit her teeth together and smiled at him.

"I'm good. I'm gonna, go over there." He turned but she took his hand again.

"Where you off to? Come on, what's your name."

"Michael. Micheal Octavian." She smiled wider.

"Ooh. And where are you from?" Thomas realized that he wouldn't get away if he fed her more information. He yanked his hand away when he realized she still held it.

"Look lady, I'm gay. And Taken." It was the best excuse he could think of. She chuckled quietly.

"Cutie, after a night with me that will change." She reached up, as if to stroke his cheek but he slapped her hand away.

"I'm gonna go. Don't stop me." But her hand lashed out and snatched Thomas's forearm, holding it tight.

"Hey. I'm a nice girl, but I can be very mean if I were pushed. Now, " And she lowered her voice. "We can discuss this later, Michael. But I'm a lieutenant, and you're a grunt. I will kick you out of Overwatch." Her voice rose again, and filled with that sappy sweetness. "How about a goodbye kiss?"

"Hell no. I'm not doing that. Please leave me alone." He looked around, seeing if anyone else was noticing this. Then she leaned forward, grabbing his shoulders and kissing him. Thomas swung, hard. His fist connected with her temple and she stumbled backwards. There was blood, and Thomas realized he had summoned his hammer. He quickly waved it away, but everyone near had seen him with it. A few people gasped, and everyone stared at him. The women looked at her hand, which hand a small amount of blood on it. She looked at Thomas.

"You're a mutant?!"

"I'm sorry, but you-"

"FREAK! To think I was gonna... UGH!" And she turned away, stalking away with blood leaking from her head. People formed up around Thomas.

"Monster!" Someone shouted from nearby. "Freak!" Shouted another. "Murderer!" Came a third. "Worse than Omnics!" Screamed a forth. Something shattered on his breastplate, and red liquid stained the silver. It wasn't blood. Thomas looked up, searching for the person who threw it and saw dozens of angry faces. More jeers flew towards him and Thomas wanted to shrink away from them. He stepped towards the exit, and everyone stepped aside, shouting angrily at him. Thomas escaped into the outside through a side exit into a nearby alley. Inside the building Jack and Gabriel arrived, seeing Madison holding the side of her head and two people kneeling next to her.

"What happened here?" Demanded Gabriel. There was spilt wine on the floor and the crowd of people were looking at an open door. Gabriel ran to the door. He needed to get whoever attacked this person. Jack leaned in next to Madison.

"What happened here soldier?" She looked up at Jack.

"It was that black haired mutant freak Michael. He summoned some hammer and smashed it over my head just because I was talking to him!"

"It's true sir, I saw the whole thing." Said another woman.

"Wait, summoned a hammer. Was it silver?"

"It glowed silver sir." Jack nodded and stood up. Thomas. He pulled out his phone and message Gabriel. 'It's Thomas. Madison was hitting on him. Something happened. Please find him.' Jack looked around at all the people.

"Did he leave out that door?" Jack called into the crowd. Several people responded yes.

"And what all did you shout at him? I heard several of you say it. Come on." Several people murmured, but suddenly shoes, watched and drinks became very interesting.

"Oh. Now you all have problems speaking your minds? Freak. Monster. Mutant. That's what I heard you saying. What is wrong with you?! You're all Overwatch. DO you understand what that means? DO YOU?! Because I can tell you what it doesn't. It doesn't mean treating people like that. Treating a kid like that, he's eighteen for christsakes!" Jack shook his head. "You're all disgusting." He said, and he shook his head. "Drink your beers everyone. I hope you enjoy them all." And he left through the open door.

Gabriel went through the alleyway, following footprints in the snow. They led down the alleyway, and out onto the street. Thomas's pile of armor pieces where on the ground, and the footprints led off into the nearby park. Gabriel looked at the pile of armor, but left it there. He pulled up the tracker that he had and looked for the signature from Thomas's phone. It was in the woods. Following it he found Thomas, sitting on a park bench. He had his arms crossed and his head was down. Gabriel stepped forward, out of the light of the streetlight and next to the park bench.

"I didn't mean to. She, she was hitting on me. She kissed me, I swung as a reflex. I swear. It was a reflex." Gabriel frowned and took a seat next to Thomas.

"I know kid." He looked away from Gabriel, and sniffled quietly."

"I always thought people hated me because I was thief. Because I did what I had to to survive. I thought..." He shook his head and sniffled again. Gabriel put his arm around Thomas.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad. So don't think so. I don't care what they think. I'm crying because I'm frustrated, and it's coming out as crying." Thomas sounded like he was talking to himself more so than Gabriel, but Gabriel let him talk. He gently rubbed the side of Thomas's neck. Thomas let his head rest on Gabriel's shoulder, enjoying the warmth the older man emanated.

"I thought that people would be kinder here. But it's the same everywhere. No one wants a mutant." Gabriel turned and looked down at Thomas. The young man had his arms crossed. He looked frustrated and pissed off, but an underlying sadness was also visible.

"Can we just go back to base? If I thought that everyone was looking at me before they definitely will now." Gabriel nodded. He stood up and Thomas followed quietly. Gabriel went to call his car to automatically while Thomas gathered up his armor. The red breastplate that Thomas had pain painstakingly carved and crafted was now scratched by glass and stained red by red alcohol. Thomas sat down in the snow, leaning against the wall and pitied himself. Gabriel felt a tug to try and comfort Thomas, but even as a mutant Gabriel had never been an outcast for it. His family had celebrated his differences and people he new had always told him he was unique. 

'I wonder how many people had kicked Thomas out of his homes for his abilities.' Gabriel thought to himself. Jack arrived shortly after that point and approached Gabriel slowly. Thomas didn't move, he just continued to rest his head between his knees. Gabriel looked at Jack with sad eyes.

"What happened?"

"Madison Petras. That's what happened. She was hitting on Thomas, and when he tried to leave she kissed him. He swung, but summoned his hammer as he did it. He hit her with the shaft of the hammer, so it didn't do too much damage. Just some blood." Thomas grumbled quietly from his position.

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to hit her. Especially with the hammer." He sounded completely miserable.


	18. Waffles and Goth Girls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woooooooo. Kinky stuff and fluff. My Friday favorite.

Jesse had left the party as soon as he heard Thomas had. A few people tried to get him to stay, including Ana.

"Thomas just needs some alone time is all. Let him cool off." She had said. But Jesse wouldn't hear it.

"Ana I'd rather he yell at me than keep beating himself up." And he had left the party early, booking it back to base. When he made it back he immediately went to his room, to find it empty. When he found Thomas's room empty panic clutched him. he whipped out his phone and dialed Thomas, who thankfully picked it up almost immediately. He was panting hard from the sound of it.

"Where are you!" Demanded Jesse. He heard a scuffing noise, the sound of Thomas dropping his phone in surprise. He picked it up again.

"Training room. Beating the shit out of some drones. Where are you?!"

"Which training room?!"

"Are you at the base! Why Aren't you at the party?" Thomas demanded, his voice rising.

"Because you aren't! I don't know what happened but you just left and didn't message me at all!"

"Because I didn't want you to leave! You were fine at the party and I'm fine when I'm alone!"

"Thomas how can I be happy if I know you aren't!" Thomas stilled. Why was he yelling at Jesse?

"I'm- I'm in room 8."

"I'm coming. Stay there." And he hung up, sprinting towards the room. He cleared the three floors in less than two minutes, and found Thomas still in the room. He'd changed out of the Halloween attire. He had on a black shirt and camouflage pants and was sitting on a small bench with a bottle of water. Virtual people and omnics lay dismembered and bloodied on the ground. He looked up at Jesse and stood up, rubbing the back of his still dyed hair.

"Jesse I'm sorry I shouted-"

"Shut up and kiss me darlin." And Jesse wrapped his arms around Thomas's shoulders, bringing their lips together and holding him. Thomas sighed into the kiss before kissing back. Moments like this made it all better.

Eventually Zarya opened the door to the training floor, gym bag in hand and paused when she saw the two men. She shook her head.

"Gym is for fighting, not kissing. Either fight me or leave." Jesse released Thomas's lips.

"She's right. We should go."

Jesse was determined to cheer Thomas up, and surprisingly it wasn't with sex. Jesse told Thomas he would 'put that beautiful smile back on your face.' But for tonight, Thomas was tired and Jesse had more to drink than he admitted to Thomas. So for tonight Thomas just wanted to get some sleep and let this night end. Despite Jesse raising his spirits with his kiss Jesse could tell Thomas was far more upset then he was admitting. He wasn't very talkative, not speaking during the walk back or while he change into his boxers and a tee shirt. When he lay down his back was facing Jesse and he pulled up a second blanket to cover just him at the edge of the bed. Jesse rolled over and pulled Thomas close to him, ignoring his indignant complaints.

"You can't hide yourself darlin." Thomas pulled the blanket up to cover his cheeks and hide his blush.

"Hidin it doesn't make you less beautiful." He planted little kisses on the back of Thomas's neck. He could see the blush growing all the way up along his upper cheek and by his ears. His earlobe was several shades of pink at the moment, and Jesse loved it. Making Thomas blush had quickly become one of his favorite things to do. Jesse slipped under Thomas's blanket. Jesse had never cared for blankets much, but Thomas had grown to love them. Over the course of the last month Thomas had steadily added more blankets and pillows to the room, piling them on the nightstand next to him and taking them as needed. Some nights he would gather four blankets and a half dozen pillows. Usually if he was cold though Jesse would cuddle him closely.

Jesse slid under the blanket to be closer to Thomas and continued kissing the back of his neck. He intertwined the two of there legs and put his left arm above Thomas head on the pillow. Jesse took his right arm and wrapped it around Thomas's side, moving it slowly up in search of Thomas's hand until Thomas moved slightly, letting Jesse grab it and hold it tightly. He planted more kisses up and down Thomas's neck until he was smiling widely.

"I love you Jesse."

"I love you to Thomas. Don't ever forget it. And everyone that knows you, the real you, loves you too. Those idiots at the party don't matter." Thomas tucked his head up under Jesse's chin, smiling, and tucked himself up closer. That's the great thing about having a boyfriend who's four inches taller than you, and weighs twice as much. Cuddling, is, AMAZING. It didn't take long for Thomas to fall asleep, and when he did Jesse smiled and pulled him closer, listening to the sound of his boyfriends heartbeat.

The next morning.

Jesse woke up before Thomas, sill intertwined with his lover. Jesse smiled and rolled over on top of Thomas, wrapping him in a tight hug. Thomas grumbled something like "Get off Jesse." But Jesse just kept planting little kisses along his exposed neck and face, biting gently at his lips. He sucked on a specific point on his neck, watching a mark form and then watching it slowly disappear. Thomas grumbled again, but a faint smile was etched into his face. Jesse was showering him in praise, saying things like- "You're so warm." And- "Wake up Thomas. It's time to get up." Eventually Thomas put his hand up to Jesse mouth, covering it. 

"It's too early for this." Jesse smiled and began kissing the palm of Thomas's hand. He smiled after a few kisses and yanked his hand away.

"That tickles." He giggled a little as he said it before he groaned quietly and shifted under Jesse's body.

"Okay, I'm up. Get off me." But Jesse just kept planting little kisses on him, watching Thomas smile. Eventually he did roll over to his side of the bed, and he reached for his mini fridge hidden under his nightstand. Jesse had it filled with chocolate milk, ice cream, various beers, candy and water. He also had bowls, spoons and cups that he cleaned in his room. He also had a bunch of snickers, and whenever Thomas was having a bad day or was just being pissy Jesse would hand him one. Thomas would call him an asshole, but what was Thomas supposed to do. Not eat the candy? Jesse made a quick bowl of mint chocolate ice cream, which he knew was Thomas's favorite. He moved the bowl under Thomas's nose slowly, letting him know there was ice cream with candy mixed in. Thomas opened one eye and saw the pile of sugar and chocolate and begrudgingly sat up in bed.

And That is how two grown men wound up eating Ice Cream at 8:30 in the morning, watching Saturday morning cartoons in their nightclothes. Thomas's head rested on Jesse's shoulder and Jesse's let his head lay on Thomas's. Thomas's bed hair was poofy and soft, acting like a pillow and a stark difference to the still regrowing beard on Jesse's face, the hair of which was prickly and stubborn. When the two finished breakfast Jesse pulled Thomas into a kiss, which soon became making out with each other. Somewhere along the line both Jesse and Thomas lost their shirts. Thomas was propped up on his elbows over Jesse, leaning on his body with his legs splayed around Jesse's. Jesse had his arms wrapped around Thomas shoulders, and Thomas was busying his hands by playing with Jesse's hair. Jesse ran his hands down the sides of Thomas's body, stopping at the rim of his boxers and tugging at it. Not removing them yet Jesse pulled away from Thomas's body and releasing it before pulling again. Before they could go any further though knocking sounded from the door.

Thomas groaned quietly and Jesse responded. "Yes?"

"Hey Jesse. Is Thomas in there? He left after the party last night and, and I'm worried.." Thomas felt selfish now. He'd wanted to leave so bad, to escape and just go home and be alone by himself. He hadn't even thought that someone might be worried about his disappearance.

"It's okay, he's in here." Fareeha sighed in relief and opened the door, freezing instantly and her mouth falling open before turning and shielding her eyes. Thomas grabbed at a blanket and covered both him and Jesse.

"That didn't mean come in!"

"I'm so sorry, I just wanted to check on you and you weren't in your room and Gabriel didn't want to tell me anything and-"

"Thank you for your concern. We can talk, later!" Fareeha stepped away, the door sliding closed behind her. Thomas moved his arms but Jesse took them, moving them apart and causing Thomas to lose his his balance and fall onto Jesse's chest.

"Ow. you did that on purpose."

"Don't act like you didn't want to. You want to go further?" Thomas giggled. It was a sound only Jesse had truly heard, a light and breathy thing that Thomas only did when he was worked up like this.

"Would your little friend let me say no?" Jesse looked Thomas in the eye.

"Wait, little friend? That's not what you shouted last time." Thomas giggled again.

"Lets go farther." Jesse reached into his drawer, searching around and withdrawing some lube and condoms. "Wait. Could we try it without it?" Jesse looked at the items in his hand.

"I don't know darlin. You still limp a little after sex. I think you still need the lube."

"Keep the lube. I meant without the condom. Wait, I limp after sex? Is it noticeable?!" Jesse laughed deeply and kissed Thomas.

"You wince when you sit down afterwards." Thomas blushed brightly again. "But, I'm clean. You're clean. It will be messier afterwards, but if you want to try it without a condom we could." Thomas smiled.

"Okay. I'm gonna get prepared. Pass me... your uh.... gift." Jesse passed him the lube and the dildo.

"Do you want me to watch?" Thomas nodded. He took both and wasted no time coating his toy generously in lubricant. With it on the toy shone, and Thomas worked off his tight fitting boxers, his eager cock flipping out. Jesse was smiling madly this whole time, and was toying with himself through his own boxers, rubbing at his head and watching the small stain grow slowly. Thomas took the toy and looked Jesse in the eyes as he started to put it in. He paused at about three inches, taking a deep breathe and biting his lip. He moaned quietly and his legs quivered. He sat on his heel and moaned again, closing his eyes. The toy was cold, the cold caused his anus to clench tightly on the toy. Thomas reach down and stroked himself slowly, trying to get his muscles to relax.

He pushed the toy in deeper, fitting it up to the handle and he sighed out. It turned into a loud wanton moan halfway through and he legs quivered at the feeling. Shit this felt so good. Thomas pulled the toy out halfway and pushed it back in. He felt the little switch and flicked it on, gasping loudly and opening his eyes at the feeling. Rough hands took his wrists and pulled him forward off his ankles.

"Careful darlin. Don't forget about me?"

"N-nno. I just." He moaned loudly. As he fell it had pushed the toy up deeper into him, and the vibrations felt more intense. Thomas shuddered, his eyes rolling up at the feeling. It hadn't even touched his prostate yet and he was ready to cum. Suddenly the entire world moved. Thomas found himself with his face on the pillow and Jesse behind him. Thomas looked behind him and saw Jesse smiling. Thomas's arms were pinned up behind his back. Jesse leaned in next to Thomas's ear and whispered.

"If you want to stop, what do you say?"

"Red."

"Do you want to go on?"

"Green." Thomas wanted to say more but the dildo had been pushed deeper into him, still vibrating. It brushed against his prostate, just a light brush but Thomas moaned out. Jesse took the end of the dildo and pulled it out unceremoniously and turned it off before setting it aside.

"As amazing as it was to see those facial expressions, that look when you took it so well, the way you bit your lip and the greedy little moans you let out was. I don't think I ever want to see a toy spread you out in front to of me again." He placed the head of his cock at Thomas's entrance. "Remember the safe words." And he pushed in. He got about six inches in before he couldn't go farther. Almost all the way, but Thomas tightened up too much. Jesse grunted and Thomas panted, his flushed cheeks resting on the pillow and his mouth open. Jesse pulled his length out and pushed back in slowly, avoiding his prostate and using one hand to hold Thomas's hips while the other held his hands by the wrist. Jesse had taken out several of his toys while Thomas had been so busy entertaining himself, and took one now. I was a simple rope, incredibly soft and strong. He quickly bound Thomas's wrists together behind his back, asking him to test the circulation several times and making sure he was okay.

He took a second rope and began winding it up and around Thomas legs. It started at his ankle, criss-crossing in a pattern like a palm tree's up Thomas's shins, connecting them together tightly and then up his thigh until it wrapped around his waist and attached to his wrists. It looked like he had stockings on that bound his legs together.

When Jesse thrust in all the way in, balls deep he made sure to nail Thomas's prostate. Thomas gasped and felt some pre-cum splash out of him, landing on the bed. His cheeks were totally flushed and he was drooling as Jesse picked up the pace, faster than he had ever before. Soon Thomas was reduced to a writhing and moaning mess, gasping each time Jesse entered him and moaning his name while Jesse grunted and smiled widely, using his free hands to cup his bound boyfriends balls and jerk him off. Thomas had his ass high in the air which gave Jesse amazing room to play with him, gently flicking the head the running his fingers along the shaft. His other hands alternated between fondling Thomas's balls and stroking along his perineum. Jesse felt Thomas pulse under him and began pumping faster. He had a plan, but he wanted to get Thomas to his edge first.

This felt amazing. Jesse felt larger without a condom on, less restrained or constricted and without the smooth of the condom the burn Thomas felt around his tight ring of muscle burned so good. It was like the first night they had been together, but faster and rougher. Surprisingly, it felt amazing to be bound like this. In an environment that he controlled. In one where all he had to do was say one word and everything would stop. He didn't want it to stop at all though. He wanted more, Faster, deeper. He wanted that feeling that Jesse's fingers were drawing from him, skillfully dragging his release ever closer to the edge until he felt it on the precipice. He gasped and squeaked and blubbered loudly as he begged Jesse to go faster, wanton cries of passion filling the room as he closed his eyes and bit down hard on his lip and... and... and... nothing. Thomas opened his eyes, feeling something cold around the base of his cock. He looked down to see a ring around the base of his cock. It was incredibly soft and cool and made Thomas throb more. He whined loudly and turned his head around to face Jesse.

"Jesssssseeeeee!" He whined loudly. His orgasm was there. It was right there. That bursting dam of mind blowing pressure hadn't burst, it just leaked steadily out of him, a slow burning as his semen slip out in a quiet release. Quiet was the one thing Thomas was not. He voiced his discomfort readily. Between the sudden emptiness in him and the need for release he was in torment. He sobbed into the pillow, a single loud gulping cry.

"Darlin, hold on. I promise it will be worth it. If you want to come now, say so." Thomas shook his head. He trusted Jesse. He wanted what he had planned. If it would be better than the orgasm he had already lost it would be worth it. Jesse reached to Thomas cock and around the ring, bringing a small sheath away from it. The ring unraveled into a sheet with a tight band of the material around the base and crown of his cock. Somehow it began vibrating and Thomas screamed into the pillow, bucking his hips forward and rubbing his cock on the sheets. It felt sooooo gooooddddd.

"Oh fuck fuck Jesse pleassseeee! Oh god please. I need to cum it's so close please plsaea please..." He let out a second pleasured sob into the pillow. Jesse held up a bright green egg and carefully inserted it into his boyfriend, attaching a little bit of tape that would keep it from getting lost in him. Thomas screamed Jesse into the pillow, his hips bucking furiously into the bed frame. He drooled openly and Jesse took a picture of his boyfriend like this, for those moments when they weren't together.

Thomas felt exhausted. He'd been like this for ten torturous minutes already, and he couldn't speak anymore. Jesse would run his hands up and down Thomas's lithe frame. He would push the egg in various positions and adjust the sheathe on his boyfriends cock. Thomas made small whimpering noises with every movement in him and begged Jesse needily for release. Jesse carefully removed the egg and pushed his own cock back into his boyfriend, watching his face contort and his legs quiver and tremble uncontrollably. Even after being taken once and having the egg and dildo in him he was still incredibly tight, almost as tight as when he was a virgin. Jesse reached over and the sheathe detached itself from Thomas's cock, falling onto the bed. Jesse began snapping his hips backwards and forwards, going from totally inside him him to almost completely empty and back again in seconds. Thomas whined and whimpered and moaned lewdly into the pillow and Jesse glanced under him at his cock.

His cock wept beautifully, globs of cum leaking out and collecting into thick balls that slowly fell onto the small puddle on the bed. It was frustrated, angry even as it twitched maddeningly. Thomas groaned.

"DAMN. JESSE! I swear if you don't stop teasing me I'm gonna tie you down and ride you and keep that infuriating ring on you and won't let you cum until I decide!" Jesse bit down on Thomas's earlobe.

"Oh really? What else are you going to do?" Thomas gasped as Jesse picked up the pace, his hand wrapping tightly around Thomas's cock.

"Fuck, I'm gonna tie you up like this. I'm gonna top you and tie you down and wrap the infernal ring around you and fill you up so good and- an iuaaghhh." Thomas felt waves of pleasure roll into him as he began pushing back in time with Jesse's thrusts. Jesse pumped Thomas's cock once, twice, three four five and Thomas began cumming hard. He felt himself tighten around Jesse's cock, the ring of muscle burning wonderfully. Jesse tried to keep thrusting into Thomas, but he tightened so hard he couldn't move anymore, his dick trapped balls deep in ass he felt Thomas's muscles tightening wonderfully around him. He felt Thomas cumming, his cock pulsing and spewing semen more powerfully then ever before. Jesse groaned and came himself, bending over and wrapping himself tightly around Thomas, quivering at the intensity of the orgasm.

Thomas felt Jesse's cum spilling into him. It felt strange. It wasn't like some bad fanfictions he had read before, talking about how full and hot it made you feel. It was hot though, and it felt strange to feel a liquid sloshing inside of him. Good strange. Thomas moaned loudly and lewdly, still tightening around Jesse. Finally Thomas fell forward, going limp in his arms. Jesse held Thomas and gently lowered both there bodies onto the bed. With a little work Jesse slowly removed his own now softening cock from his boyfriends ass. When he withdrew it there was a very quiet popping sound, and Jesse watched as his cum began to leak, already seeking to escape. Thomas had a look of bliss plastered on his face, and drool was running out of his mouth onto the pillow. Jesse pulled him closer and sighed, sucking on the base of Thomas's neck, leaving a trail of hickeys down from his neck to either of his shoulders.

"That was amazing." Said Thomas. Being tied back like that, but still in control. Everything was just... good. Thomas sighed at the feeling of Jesse covering him in hickeys, and felt Jesse unravel the rope around his legs and hands. When they were free Thomas stretched out and cuddled up next to Jesse, letting him run his fingers down the long, jagged scars on his back. Then he ran them up the long, smooth lines on his back. Thomas felt tears prick to his eyes as he did so. He hated his scars so much. How each one was a reminder of how he had failed in some major way, and people had died. Jesse ran a hand up to his cheek and wiped away a tear.

"I love you darling." Thomas leaned himself into his boyfriends grip more.

An hour later.

After a shower together, in which Jesse discovered that Thomas's hair is always soft and fluffy and he loves the way it smells like this coconut and cinnamon shampoo Fareeha had gotten him even after sex. The two also received an email that a blizzard had rolled in Anchorage, and they wouldn't be able to fly. The mission had been rolled back by two days. It took some convincing, but Jesse convinced Thomas to stay with him for a while. It also helped that Thomas had a noticeable limp when he walked. In the back of his mind Jesse made a note that any Saturdays they had together like this, would be spent like this. Tom and Jerry cartoons played on the T.V., and Thomas seemed to enjoy it. His head was leaning on Jesse's shoulder again, and Jesse holding his hand. Thomas's phone rang next to him. It was Fareeha. Thomas smiled and giggled quietly and answered.

"Hey Fareeha."

"Hello Thomas. I am so sorry about earlier." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"You know saying I'm in here inst saying come in." Jesse nudged him with his shoulder.

"In this situation it wasn't, but usually saying I'm in here, is saying come in and see." Thomas gawked at him.

"That's so stupid! I'm confirming where I am not telling you to come in!" Jesse shrugged.

"I didn't make the language darlin." Thomas heard Fareeha again.

"Thomas, are you coming out at all. I'm worried. We're all worried." Jesse saw Thomas expression darken. He tucked in tighter around himself, moving his head away from the T.V.

"I'm fine. They didn't want me there, I didn't want to be there. That's all." There was a layer of hurt in his voice.

"Are you sure? Thomas, if you need to talk about something-"

"There's nothing to talk about. They called me a freak. And a mutant. They through things at me. I left. End. OF. STORY." Thomas knew he was failing to keep the hurt out of his voice. The words were pained. It hurt that he'd been chased out. It hurt him deeply, in a way he hadn't felt in over a year.

Jesse heard it as well. He knew Thomas had been rendered homeless at fourteen. That he had run away to escape an abusive family, and gotten trapped in the Canadian Hinterlands and wilderness. How when he got to civilization he was ridiculed for being a mutant. Chased, beaten, arrested. Forced to live in sewers, alleys, parks. Scrounging for scraps of metal in local junkyards to trade in for a measly reward at scrap shops, just so he could eat. How he had gone to bed at nights, hungry, no blanket, a bed a plastic trash and newspaper, alone in the snow. It was why he loved sleeping with Jesse. The feeling of not being alone. Knowing that he wouldn't drift away in his sleep and find himself back there.

Because that was something that Thomas had told no one. That of all the things he had seen and been through. Hours of painful torture. Genetic modification therapies. Watching his friends and loved ones be butchered in front of him. The thing he most feared, that made him stay up late and wake early, the things that made him skip nights of sleep until Jesse or Ana or someone caught him and forces him to go to bed, was that he would go to sleep and wake up in a pile of newspapers in Seattle. Or in his bed in the Canadian wilderness. Or in some lab in Talon or his father's house. It gave him horrible nightmares, scraps of memories he'd spent his whole life pushing out. Trying to forget. Forcing himself to forget. Drugging himself so he would forget. Avoiding night after night of sleep so he wouldn't remember in his dreams.

"Are you sure Thomas?"

"Yes. I don't know what the plan is for today, but I'm not doing much of anything." Fareeha nodded.

"Okay. If you want- need to talk about anything, I'm here." She heard a shuffling on the other end.

"Thanks." And then he hung up. Fareeha held the phone to here ear a moment longer, wishing he had said accepted her offer. She put the phone down, the look of dejection apparent on her face. Angela frowned sadly. She hadn't expected a different outcome, but she had hoped as well. She put a hand on her girlfriends arm.

"Give him some time. It never feels good to be ridiculed and pushed away because you're different." Fareeha nodded.

"I know. I was just hopeful is all."

"That's okay."

Same time, in Jesse's room.

"You know its okay if they hurt you." Said Jesse, rubbing his boyfriends shoulder reassuringly.

"They didn't. They're just stupid people who don't understand anything." His arms were folded and he was looking at the T.V. unblinking.

"I know they are. But what they say still hurts, even if they're wrong-"

"But what if they aren't wrong. Jesse." He summoned his hammer, but it was stained deep crimson. It looked like blood was about to drip from it onto the bed. "This, this gift." He said it like the word left a bad taste in his mouth. "Has gotten so many people killed. Good, bad, right wrong. All shapes and sizes and ages. What if they're right. What if things would be better if I was dead? If I had never been born at all? How many people would be alive if I wasn't?" There was a misery in his voice. A broken sorrow. Jesse pulled Thomas close, letting him lay his head against Jesse's chest.

"Don't talk like that. What about on your mission with Gabriel? You saved him. You saved his life. What about when you killed Jefferson? How many people has he killed? How many more would he have? And this mission to Canada. You're going to go there, and you'll kick ass." Thomas smiled.

"You sound so sure." Thomas felt Jesse's lips on the top of his head.

"That's because I am sure. Have I ever lied to you?" Thomas smiled.

"Well there was that one time with the burgers."

"I warned you they were spicy!"

"You put frigging white bullet peppers on them!" The began laughing and Jesse kissed him again, holding him tightly.

The feeling of being in Jesse's arms is probably the best feeling in the world. It's cheesy, but after a lifetime of running, being berated, beaten, chased away, arrested and abandoned it felt amazing to hold and be held by someone who wouldn't betray him. Most people went through multiple breakups to find someone they truly love, but as long as Thomas had a say in it he was never breaking up with Jesse. And he'd do anything to make Jesse want to stay with him. Something else that he enjoyed was the simple task of having friends. All his life Thomas had avoided making friends. Talking to people was risky. Get to unfriendly with someone, they may call the cops on you because they're dicks. Get to friendly, they may call child services for your own good. Except, child services doesn't take mutants. They technically do, they have to, but mutant kids always go to the worst homes, or the most violent areas. Usually he didn't have to try to avoid people. Maybe it was the way he stared back at anyone looking at him, a trick he learned to dissuade people from picking a fight. Maybe it was the fact he was homeless, with dirty clothes and an unpleasant aroma. Maybe it was the way he walked, or his demeanor or something. People didn't like him. In the words of the police 'You need to check yourself kid. You look like someones always following you, yours eyes are everywhere at once. You're unkempt and you look like a trouble maker.' People didn't want him anywhere. They didn't like him.

The only ones that did seem to like him, liked him for what he could do for them. Tasks, services, and things that would certainly get them arrested. Thomas never let any of them do anything, but it had been hard to say no to a full stomach or a dry bed in exchange for a blowjob or some other task. He always had said no though. Broke one girls hand when she tried to pull a stunt.

Last night, being ridiculed like that, having things thrown at him and called names, it was just like he had been chased out of cities before. There was never pitchforks and torches. Usually a cop would park outside whatever place was home. They would say 'I just want to talk' and that was Thomas's cue to run. Thankfully he was an amazing runner and acrobat. Parkour was a incredibly useful skill when getting chased by cops. Hope a fence, scale a building, slide down a gutter and you're home free. Usually. Last night, being kicked out again. It hurt. Thomas had wanted to run farther. To hide himself away and run. But he hadn't. He had left and sat on the park bench and waited. And then Gabriel had followed him. It was shocking to have someone come find him. Then when he had hugged him. He was so warm in the snow. The hug had felt more than comforting. It had felt... personal. It made him feel like the most loved person to have someone come find him when he ran off.

Eventually though, they still had jobs to do. Being active agents they got a lot of down time to relax, train and do whatever they felt like. As long as it didn't make Overwatch look too bad. If someone got in trouble they would get chores around the base, or if a superior officer asked them to do something they would have to do it. Luckily thought Thomas and Jesse got along great with there superiors. Jesse had tried vainly to convince Thomas to take the day away from work, but even with the deadline push back the Canada mission still loomed over him. He had preparations to make, and thanks to the storm he would have to take all new measurements and temperature readings and forecasts. Jesse did however convince him to go get some breakfast first. It was a bit late but there was always make it yourself food available to whomever wanted it. And Jesse, being a sweetheart, made Thomas sit down while he showed him why Jesse's sandwiches were better than Jacks. They weren't, but that's not what Thomas told him.

Eventually Jesse ran out of ideas to keep Thomas away from his work, so with a final kiss he let Thomas escape into the planning room. Now Jesse had to busy himself somehow. And when all else fails, go to the shooting range.

Which turned out to be incredibly boring. Jesse had gotten used to shooting with Thomas, having little contests on who was better. Jesse giving him pointers. Shooting by himself was lonely, and again Jesse wanted to get Thomas and shoot targets with him. He was about to, then Ana entered the room. By accident or design Ana entered just as Jesse couldn't take the silence anymore. She had on a mostly casual attire. A buttoned up shirt and pants with her jumpsuit underneath. She only ever wore 'causal attire' as she put it, when she was at home.

"Hello Jesse." She wasn't at all surprised to see him here. She'd been hoping for it. "Were you just leaving?"

"Yes Ana."

"Where to then?" Jesse had the sudden instinct to lie to her. He shouldn't be interrupting Thomas, but it was to late now. He'd hesitated for just a moment. After years and years in the military, Ana could root out a lie like a pig could root out mushrooms.

"I uh. I was going to visit Thomas." He admitted. "I'm worried about him. And I don't want him to be by himself." Ana nodded. She appreciated him being honest, especially since she knew what he was doing the moment she'd seen him in the doorway.

"I understand. But Thomas is the kind of person who works through his issues. Sometimes we just have to let people work through things in there own time." Jesse nodded.

"I know. But he's done that before, and I don't want him to blame himself for what they say." Ana nodded.

"Does he?" Jesse sighed.

"Yeah. He uh, he.. Thomas is hurt. He's trying hard not to show it, but being chased out last night. I think it stirred up some bad memories in him." Ana nodded.

"Well. How about this. A shooting contest. If I win, you have my blessing to go and interrupt his work." Jesse chuckled quietly.

"Oh so now I need your blessing?"

"Unless you want toilet duty for the foreseeable future than yes." Ana said it with that smile that said- 'I'm joking, but if you push me, I won't be.' So Jesse accepted, and with the motivation of seeing his boyfriend managed to, for the first time ever, almost not lose spectacularly. Even when he was using his revolver and Ana was using a pistol she still hit a majority of the targets before Jesse could even register where they were. Jesse had always been a good shot, and Ana had given him lots of pointers over the years he'd been in Overwatch, but the time for the master to succeed the teacher was not today. Or probably the near future for that matter. But at least it killed twenty minutes. As did the double or nothing match. And as soon as it was over Ana quickly busied him as her assistant for the day. A role which mostly involved them talking and pretending to do work for a day. A fair portion of the base was nursing hangovers, so no one truly expected much to happen. The only people that were still normal in there duties were the security personnel.

Later, Thomas.

The snow storm was a bitch. It had managed to fuck up every one of Thomas's measurements, leaving him with furious guesstimates. So he had focused on the squad that would go. Arming them would be easy. A few people would hold squad automatic weapons, they would take some heavy hitting weapons, rifles and shotguns. Someone with some sort of fire based weaponry, though the gas grenades Thomas had... modified would do in a pinch. throw em out, they spew flammable gas for a few seconds and then a big fireball formed that lasted for a few seconds. It wouldn't leave a lasting fire unless it nipped a tree, but as for signaling or scaring off people and animals, it worked well. Now though, it was late and despite his want to just lay down, he new that every meal he skipped now he would yearn for in a weeks time. So he made his way to the cafeteria, after supper had finished thankfully. No one would be there, aside from maybe a few agents like him that were not good at following schedules while working.

He almost made it, but he was met by Olivia one turn away from the cafeteria. By met by, he meant walked into. Olivia looked like she wasn't surprised at all, if somewhat annoyed. But she smiled it off and glanced up at Thomas.

"Finally. Took you long enough Conejito." That was something that Sombra called Thomas sometimes. It meant Little Bunny, and she'd called him that intermediately since she'd first seen him run. Like a bunny she'd say.

"Took me long enough? Have you been waiting here for me?"

"Yep. You're worrying us. You snapped at Fareeha earlier, you avoided meals." Thomas scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. I was just busy. Now if you'll excuse me, I am still busy." He tried yo walk around her, but she grabbed the back of his shirt collar.

"Hold it. We aren't done here."

"Fine, just let go you'll stretch the collar." She did with a chuckle, and Thomas turned to see her. Olivia saw the look in his eyes and recognized it.

"That bad huh?" Thomas shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't try to bluff me Thomas. I know you to well for that. I understand." Olivia was a mutant as well. She could 'hack' computers with ease. A useful skill, and a dangerous one. She'd had her fair share of ridicule, being an outcast. Suffering under Talon. She was only a year older than Thomas, and they were as close to siblings as you could get. They both know what its like to be alone and unwanted, and they both took comfort in the fact they understood that about each other. Thomas found he couldn't meet her gaze, and Olivia let her shoulders fall.

"That bad huh." Thomas nodded.

"You remember what it's like. It doesn't get easier." She nodded.

"I know. But this isn't like before. Fareeha and Lena and the others, they're worried. They're worried about you, because they know it must have hurt. Show up for breakfast tomorrow. Give 'em a chance to show you that, just because they don't necessarily understand why, they still know what it is to be alone and cast away. I did. I gave them a chance. I it was the best decision I ever made." She walked forward, and put a hand on his shoulder as she passed.

"Oh, and uh, smile more Conejito. It's good for you." She poked him in the ribs and walked on. Thomas smiled as he heard her walk away, and suddenly food didn't sound so good. Sleep sounded so much better. A new day sounded better. So he stalked off to Jesse room, dissapointed by his absence but no less determined to crash. he shook his pants off on the floor and collapsed on the bed in his night shirt and boxers. He began to pull up blankets around him. While at first Thomas had shared Jesse's distaste for blankets. Jesse had one soft blanket he'd gotten for his birthday from Fareeha one year that he used. Thomas still wouldn't tell Jesse when his birthday was, despite the fact it had caused an argument. Ultimately Jesse had realized he was invading Thomas's privacy, and Thomas realized he wasn't being fair. All he said was that he'd always hated his birthday, and asked him not to bring it up again.Over time Thomas had slowly developed a love for blankets. Over the months he had dragged more and more pillows and blankets to his room, the softest only of course. Now he had four soft and fluffy blankets and pillows that he kept in a drawer in his nightstand. Tonight he pulled out off four blankets and pillows, swaddling himself and waiting for sleep to claim him.

The Jurassic park theme played through the room, and Jesse groaned loudly.

"Turn it off. Don't let the dinosaurs in." Thomas hit the snooze on his phone, but was restricted from getting up by Jesse's arms.

"Jesse, cuddling is nice but I have somewhere to be." Jesse kissed the back of his neck seductively. Thomas growled and rolled over, taking a pillow and pushing it over Jesse's face. Jesse laughed quietly, his breathing wasn't restricted at all. That wasn't the intention though. Jesse laughed into the pillow again.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. What's the matter with you?" Jesse asked playfully. Thomas growled again.

"I actually have somewhere to be, and its important to me. And you're turning me on." Jesse laughed and pushed the pillow off his face. His beard had grown back almost fully since he got injured some time ago, and Jesse leaned forward to kiss him.

"So you have somewhere to be. Should I be worried about some other man?"

"Of course not. Only you." Jesse smirked widely.

"Unless the other man is a certain commander." He teased. Thomas turned a shade of pink that Jesse hadn't had the pleasure of seeing before.

"Jesse! I told you, I don't like them like that. They're just, nice to me and all. And, you know..."

"Hot? Sexy? Smoulderin?" Jesse teased. Thomas shook his head and tried to crawl off of his boyfriend. Jesse wrapped his arms around Thomas's shoulders.

"You know, I love the faces you make. Especially during sex. The way you bite your lips and your eyes screw up and you tighten your legs so beautifully around me. I love it. I love you." He kissed Thomas on the neck, and Thomas let him, making satisfied noises until the alarm went off again. Thomas forced himself away.

"No. I have to go somewhere. I love you too."

"The point I was trying to make was that I love you, and if you want to go for Jack and Gabe you can." Thomas scoffed as he got up.

"Right, because an eighteen year old dating a couple of thirty years old while having a twenty five year old boyfriend isn't complex at all."

"You'd be surprised. You'd be very surprised." Rather than push the topic Thomas retreated into the bathroom. Jesse lay back to sleep more, but what interrupted by the Jurassic theme a third time. He groaned loudly into the pillow.

Later.

The breakfast place was a stereotypical northern coffee shop with an outdoor theme. Potted plants and a few well trimmed trees were planted around the open outdoor seating, and not ten feet away the woods lay in quiet peace. A few cars would drive by, but the place was on a road less traveled. Thomas saw why Olivia liked it so much. Also with them was Fareeha and Lena.

Olivia couldn't help but notice that this may be the most she'd ever seen him smile. He had a warm glass of what was basically hot chocolate with whip cream and a cookie on top. Also chocolate. He was the only one that had a drink without caffeine. Lena and Olivia were both enjoying a caramel coffee with Vanilla. Fareeha drank an espresso and the four talked quietly while they waited for breakfast orders.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have taken you for the sweet and sugary guy Thomas." Said Lena. Thomas shook his head. He had a massive sweet tooth.

"Yeah, Jesse's the coffee nut. I swear he has the strangest taste in coffee. He only drinks the most blackest, most bitter coffee he can get." Fareeha nodded.

"We know. We've watched him drink coffee we can't even smell." Olivia took a long drink from her own coffee then spoke.

"Thanks for coming with us Thomas. You scared me a little." Thomas nodded, the smile wavering a little.

"Yeah. Yesterday I just... you know. Sorry I was kind of a dick." Fareeha strung her arm around Thomas and pulled him close.

"Don't worry about it. We can all be dicks at times. You should have seen Lena when she hit her punk faze." Lena looked up at Fareeha and glared at her.

"We all promised to never talk about that again." Fareeha smiled wider and leaned onto the table.

"I still got pics."

"Don't you dare!" Fareeha showed Thomas a picture of Lena, in a mismatching hoodie with a can of spray paint and stained pants. Thomas stifled some laughter.

"It was just a faze." Swore Lena. Fareeha shook her head.

"Not according to this you. 'It's not a faze Ana. I just reallllly like them.' That's what you said. Word for word." Lena shook her head then smiled evilly.

"Oh yeah, you know, you started this." Lena showed a picture of Fareeha, but with extremely dark mascara makeup, looking like a stereotypical goth girl. Thomas stifled more laughter by sipping from his drink. Fareeha had a look of mortification on her face. Luckily before this became a war of embarrassment the food arrive. Thomas wasted no time digging into it, eating quickly before he heard Fareeha speak.

"Damn Thomas slow down. You're gonna choke." Then of course Olivia had to speak.

"Oh come on Fareeha, you know he's had bigger things in his mouth than that and hasn't choked." Which caused Thomas to choke on his chocolate waffles because of course it did. At least if he died it would be laughing. Finally Thomas could breathe again, and the conversation continued in a more friendly turn as they ate. It was nice talking with them, it felt like he was talking with family. They way they treated him they may as well be family. Slowly Thomas began to focus on his food again, and as he did so he thought about the mission. It would be his job to get them home safely. Briefly he wondered if he could do it. He'd guided people before, he had a record of being a guide, a merchant, a skilled fighter. But he'd been dead for two years. As far as anyone there knew. He wasn't sure if he could do it. Thomas was pulled from his thoughts when Olivia punched him in the arm. "Hey, incubadora. I know that look. You're thinking to much. Come on, get in the conversation and just put it aside for a few minutes." Thomas nodded and shook his head to clear his thoughts. 'You'll do fine. You've led people before and they turned out fine, right?' He asked himself. An image of Elizabeth surfaced, and he winced at the thought. He'd failed her, and she died. He hadn't been able to get her medicine. He wouldn't fail his family again.

The rest of the breakfast was pleasant. They joked and talked and when they finished there food went back to base. It was nice. It was really nice being treated like family.


	19. Changing Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I realized today that Ana is over six foot tall. I thought she was around five and a half foot, maybe five seven. But she's taller than Thomas. So anytime I said she looked at Thomas, well now she looks down at him, Because he's five six at the beginning of the story (now he's about five seven. Like five six and three quarters) and she's six one. Thanks for understanding.

Today's the day. They would leave in one hour. The plan was simple. That of course meant that it would go horrifically wrong at every available turn, but at least there were less turns things could go wrong on. A total of twenty seven people would be going on the mission. They would meet most of the people in Canada, technically Anchorage Alaska, but it was still part of the Fallout zone. The group was larger than Thomas would have liked, big groups attracted more enemies, but assuming he could scout out in front of the group he could keep them safe. Plus being in a big group the Harceleur and Wendigo and other stalking monsters would leave them be. Mostly. As Thomas checked his equipment he remembered being in a group of twelve people.

They were Militiamen, called themselves the Guardians of The Frontier, or The Frontiersman for short. They were a quirky bunch of outcasts, but so was Thomas, plus they fed and payed him to be a guide and mechanic. He was leading them through the woods, and they had set up in an old house. It was beaten, with the right side near collapse, but it kept the wind off them, kept a fire lit and most importantly meant guards only had to one direction at a time, since there was only one entrance. That was the first and last time he made that mistake. The winds howled overhead, carrying snow flurries and blocking Thomas's vision. He couldn't see fifty yards in any direction, and couldn't hear himself think. He stared at that point though. The sagging walls slipping down the hill, its foundation already at the base and fragments of a wall strewn along the hillside as if a child had dropped it there. Examining his rifle for the tenth time that night, he didn't see the long hairy arm snaking in through a window. It grabbed some poor man by the ankle, and yanked him with such force it broke the rotting wall.

The man screamed in terror as he was pulled free, and Thomas took the shot at the unseen beast, but missed. The man shrieked into the night, disappearing into the storm. He was gone, and everyone knew it. They wouldn't be able to find him. So they all stayed up that night, solemnly waiting for daylight. When it arose they left the house, and as Thomas left he swore he saw the sickly smile of some unknown creature lurking in the woods.

Thomas sat straight up, he'd fallen over onto his bag. Thomas slapped himself hard. He'd done that three times, now four, in two days. He had yet to be caught, but he knew that if he was he would be barred from the mission. So with a second slap he continued to check his bag.

A final mission briefing was given to everyone. A group of thirteen soldiers would leave the base to land at Anchorage, where they would meet fourteen other soldiers including three drivers, two mechanics, two medics, three guides and the rest would be local soldiers who knew the area and had connections. Everyone was being paid more than they were worth to help buy loyalty. Weapons would be provided, but each person could bring their own. Once meeting the team they would leave in the APC's heading north to Chandalar, one of the only outposts in the central Alaska region. They would resupply, and head east. To old Crow. That was where the signal came from. The town had survived the omnic wars well enough, since it wasn't that important, but it had been decimated by some unknown force after the war. Once they got the information they would head back to Fort Yukon and head south again. They needed to get there quickly, they had two weeks until a missive blizzard that had been sitting in the Arctic circle moved and trapped them in the arctic. If they waited the two weeks they would lose the signal in the storm, and they whole town may be buried. So, two weeks.

Two weeks to get To the Fallout Zone, retrieve the information, and get. Either they succeeded or they died. At least then it wouldn't be there problem anymore. On the way out there was more tearful goodbyes than normal. Everyone knew this was dangerous, that's why people had to accept to go on the mission. Jesse was still pissed that Gabriel wouldn't let him go, but he understood why. Lena was saying goodbye to Amelie, Ana was hugging Reinhardt, and Jesse gave Thomas a necklace with a green emerald stone. Green was Thomas favorite color, but Thomas hated necklaces. People could be strangled with them, he knew. He had done it. So Thomas wrapped it around his wrist so the stone would dangle from his wrist.

"If things get to much, just touch the stone and I'll be thinking about you." It was sweet, and made Thomas not want to go on the mission. He could still bow out now, that was made clear to everyone. He could stay here with Jesse. The others were tough. They would live. Probably. But as he held the stone he thought about a dream he had had. It wasn't a memory like the others.

Thomas had handcuffs on, and two people were holding him back. He was screaming he would kill whoever was holding him. He saw Gabriel, hanging from a rope, dangling off the ground and kicking. It was tied in a noose around his neck, and he was purple faced. Nearby the sounds of fighting were going on. He saw someone, it may have been Fareeha, plummeting onto the ground. High above him a deep voice cackled, telling him how futile there struggle was. A shard of ice flew overhead, heading towards Ana. Thomas screamed and leapt at it. The dream ended with the voice saying how Thomas couldn't save them all. How he couldn't save anyone. He had to prove it wrong, to save them.

So with a final kiss Thomas boarded the ship, followed by most of what he considered his new family. A sickening sensation told him not all of them would be returning.

Later.

Thomas was putting on his coat. It was thick and stark white. It would blend well with the snow. He had a hood he could put up around his head to keep his ears warm. He had a semi automatic rifle with him. It shrunk down to the size of a phone when he wasn't using it. The rounds weren't nearly as big as Thomas would have preferred, but each one packed the punch of a taser along with the bullet itself. Even a glimpsed shot would take down a person. His arrows would do away with anything else. And he had a bag full of goodies with him for anything the two couldn't take down. Everyone had heavy winter wear on as well. The transport landed on a cleaned landing pad with Overwatch's insignia on it. In front of them, lay anchorage. The city had changed a lot in two years. For one it was warmer. The feeling of thousands of heaters on full wafting skywards hit him. Thomas undid his coat, taking it off and holding it in one arm. He stared down at the city, and at the surrounding lands. The landing pad was maybe six stories up and was easily the tallest building for miles. In the not so distance stood tall mountains, with trees thicker than school buses sprouting in great groves. Wind blew through the air, grasping at both Thomas and his coat. It was refreshingly cold. The smell of the mountains, laden with the thick odor of the frozen Turnagain arm directly south of us. Farther off in the distance the Gulf of Alaska frothed.

The city below looked different. Much had changed in two years. Two years ago the city was barely a shanty town. Twenty foot walls protected by militia and soldiers surrounded it. The market had been the largest part of the settlement, taking it from the ports to the road, east to west. It had slums surrounding it to the north and south both inside and outside the walls. Destitute people would shamble around the city aimlessly, begging for scraps and stealing from vendors and harassing any they could for food and coins. The whole 'city' had only been a few hundred yards long, with a scant few buildings. It barely even constituted a city. It only met the term in population and name alone. The old buildings from before the war had all been destroyed along with the city. No building stood taller than fifteen feet at the time, except the walls. The buildings that were constructed were poor in quality and design. Most were one room huts held together on the foundations of old buildings with brick, wood, mud and any material that would hold heat and keep out the snow. these buildings sagged and most were vandalized. Barrel fires had littered the town in replacement of weeds. Trash littered the streets, bits and pieces of metal and plastics scattered in disorganized piles. It was dangerous as well as disgusting. People died regularly.

Thinking on how the city was reminded Thomas of a song. He hummed along as he remembered the chorus to it.

'You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk'  
'You'd better know when you come to tooowwwnnnn.'  
'It's a dog eat dog kinda life we live'  
'That's why we never let your guard fall down.'  
'Sleep with one eye open boy'  
'Or you'll never wake up agaaaaaiiiinnnn.'  
'When you find good loot get ready to shoot'  
'Cuz in the Borderlands you have no friends.'  
"Hey kid! You gonna look at the city all day or help us unload?" It was Gabriel, and Thomas shook his head. He stuffed the coat in his bag for now and made his way to the transport. A half dozen people had rushed out and were unloading the bags they would be taking with them, as well as other supplies they had brought for the city. It didn't take long to unload most of the packages. While he did he couldn't help but think about how things had changed so much in... in how long? Three months? Four? It wasn't long at all.

Thomas wasn't the only one who was thinking about the past. Ana noticed that as he took a package that was too heavy for just him and he asked Lena for help. It made her smile.

'He's come a long way in these months.' She thought to herself before turning back to listen to the Garrison Commander and Gabriel speak.

"Yes sir. Three APC's are ready. Wheeled but repulsor capable. Ten tons, can carry all your equipment and people comfortable. Separated compartments but connected. 30 millimeter cannons on the lot of them. Plus the uh shielding you requested. And the soldiers you requested as well. Some of my best men." Gabriel nodded, scanning the lists in front of him.

"Very good commander. You've done well." The commander nodded. His name was Gregory. He was a black man, shorter than Gabe and skinnier, but still mostly muscle. He had a kind face, one weathered with scars and a crooked nose. It looked like he had it broken and not properly set a long time ago. One of his eyes, the right one, was blind. It's milky color a stark difference from the gentle brown of the other eye. His ears were longer than a normal mans, and his buzz cut hair did little to hide them. He didn't have the same rank as Gabriel. He was a station commander, but usually only called one when he was being disrespected.

"Sir, I- I've known many of these men and women my whole station here. They are good people, talented. They will serve you well, but I ask you to bring them home." Gabriel looked up and smiled softly. He clapped the mans shoulder and held it tightly.

"Do not worry my friend. I plan on bringing everyone back, along with a wealth of information to save thousands of lives." Gregory nodded.

"Very good sir. Another bit of worry though. Are you sure you've brought the right people. No disrespect and all, but many look a bit on the lighter side for such a tiring mission." Gabriel nodded.

"Whom exactly causes you to worry?" Gregory looked at the arrayed people.

"Well us, sir. Mrs. Amari for one. Her jump suit is useful, but is she trained for a mission like this? And what happens if her suit runs out of fuel or breaks, well." Fareeha suit was contracted into a large but lightweight back pack behind her. She pushed a button and stood straight up and the Raptor suit would slide onto her without pinching or catching. Watching it happen reminded Gabriel of an Iron Man movie.

"Also, uh. Mrs. Oxton. She does glow sir. Even if faintly. Is she going to be okay? Stealthy and such?" Lena could power down her chronal accelerator for about an hour at a time, but could do it indefinitely with a special bracelet that Winston had made her. But without the accelerator she couldn't blink or rewind.

"Also sir, the large man, Mr. Rothfield." Rothfield was a fairly short black man standing at five foot five inches tall. But he was built like a brick wall. He was one of the medics, and one of the best. "There is a fair amount of climbing to be done on the way to your destination. Will his uh, stature, be a problem at all?" Gabriel shook his head and put away the list.

"I have evaluated, alongside Commander Morrison and Mrs. Amari Senior that these are the best we could choose from." Gregory nodded.

"Right, but uh, what about the skinny man next to Sombra. He looks like a gust of wind would knock him over." Gabriel chuckled, remembering the Detroit mission. It would take more than wind to take Thomas down.

"Mr. Byron falls under my previous answer." Gregory nodded, then paused.

"Byron? B-Y-R-O-N? Don't tell me that's Thomas Byron. The slayer men, hunter of monsters, shadow of Alaska and her creatures. Hunter of demons, because some say he is one." Gregory spoke with a mixture of awe, fear and respect. Ana looked at Thomas, remembering the time he accidentally dropped one of her tea cups and dropped hot tea onto his crotch.

"That's a lot of titles. Hunter of demons?"

"Yes! They say he uses a bow of pure silver that he summons out of thin air. That if you see it you are doomed to die by its silvery flash. That no one has ever seen it and lived!" Gregory looked at both of them. Ana nodded.

"Right. And if no one sees it and lives, how did the legend start?" The smile wavered temporarily, but then reformed effortlessly.

"Well, they say he hunts the monsters and demons of the wilderness. That he summons fire from his fingertips. That he can fix anything. That he could charm a mother away from her baby. And that can kill people by holding both sides of there heads at once." Ana couldn't help but laugh to herself. Thomas, for his strengths and faults, was a local legend.

"And uh, do these tales that people say say he is a good person?"

"Oh yes. He rescued people from the monsters. Would hunt them and bring them back. Wouldn't even ask much of. Just a friendly place he could rest and eat his fill whenever he needed. I met once, three years ago. He was so much shorter than, but the fire was there. He would bring in trophies. Fingers from wanted bandits and brigands, horns and claws of monsters."

"And in these legends, what happened to Thomas?" Gregory's smile fell.

"He made many allies, and many enemies. He was the guardian of Wanton pass. This old trade stop with a couple of towns. He took missions, gave people food and a safe spot to rest. One day a caravan went up there, and both towns were burned to the ground. Everyone thought he died there. But the bodies of the people were buried there. No ones seen nor heard of him since. All people know, is that several leaders of the Frontiersmen were slain soon afterwards. There throats slit and hung by the neck until there head and torso separated from each other." Ana nodded. Gabriel spoke next.

"And who are these Frontiersman?"

"Vile crooks and bandits. Mr. Byron would fight them. He would attack and kill them. People say its the frontiersman that burnt the villages to the ground. But they'd never burned the villages before. Of course, they never fought the Shadow of Alaska before!" He shouted the title across the roof. Thomas's eye twitched in recognition of the title. So that was a title he had. Ana again thought back to when she saw Thomas accidentally spew milk out of his nose laughing. She knew he was a talented fighter, but monster hunter? Someone who commanded both respect and fear, mixed with admiration. It made her again wonder exactly what Thomas hadn't told her or anyone. Thomas sighed and looked up at Gregory, glaring at him with malice. Gregory's smile faded.

He took Gabriel's shoulder. "You don't think I angered him, do you?" He had real fear in his eyes. While Gabriel assured him that Thomas wouldn't hurt him Ana made her way over to Thomas, who was ruffling through his bag of supplies. She stood next to him, glancing over his shoulder into the neatly organized bag full of food and explosives. Thomas had joked not to mix the two up.

"So. Shadow of Alaska?" She asked, gentle curiosity in here voice.

"Don't call me that." Thomas's voice was tense.

"Why not?" She had hoped to just gently prod the subject, but Thomas gruffly zipped the bag shut, standing up while shouldering it and looking up into her eyes.

"I am no more the 'Shadow of Alaska' than you are shrike." Ana's eyebrow cocked up. Shrike was the code name she had been given when she first joined the Egyptian Special Forces. It was all declassified and such, but it was a part of her past where she had been more foolish and reckless. Younger. It was a time when she was a different person. Thomas turned and followed the rest of the people into the building. Ana and Gabriel as well as Gregory followed them.

The city was so much cleaner now. The people and buildings were dirty, but not from neglect. The denizens walked with purpose, a few cars were parked nearby, some people even wore nice suits. No trash littered the streets. No bodies left to decompose in the gutters and alleys. A few people walked along, salting the sidewalks and roads. Billboards hung on stilts, advertising emergency measures and a few local businesses. Seeing the city like this, it was like meeting some you knew in college, when they went to wild parties and got drunk and had fun only now they were thirty and had two kids and a wife and a retirement plan and church on Sunday and Wednesday. Now they weren't wild or dangerous. They were tame. That's what this city is. It's tame. There was no danger here. No preparations for war was heard. No sense of dread or suspense. It was quiet and peaceful. these people weren't fighters or warriors, they were fisherman and merchants.

While it was somewhat disheartening to see the city he had once guarded and built outgrow there need of him, Thomas also found it satisfying to see something he had aided to grow flourish in his absence. Many buildings where ones he had helped draw the plans for. Most building were one story, though several were two stories tall. Each building looked better. Most were made of quick building plastic frames. They were sturdy temporary housing. Several building site built houses and what looked like apartments. The market itself was no longer dingy, it flourished in a similar manner as the rest of the city. It was no longer dingy or laced with trash. The stalls were no longer poorly attached wood, most had solid walls with tarps overhead. Others were large tents, lavish in color. Armed guards roamed about, some carrying guns, but others with bows, swords, axes, baseball bats. Melee weapons were still in style.

Thomas observed a small boy run up to one of the soldiers, who let him hold his axe while he signed a piece of paper the boy had given him. The boy struggled to hold the axe, but managed, swaying slightly as he held it. The soldier gave the boy the paper back, and put his metal helmet on the boy. It was much to big for his head, and covered his eyes. The solider nudged his friend and they both laughed before recollecting the weapons and sending the boy off. A man on a bike rode past the group of people as they walked. A few people saw Thomas, and some gaped, possibly recognizing him. Before he usually had a mask on, but he had eaten meals here. Some people may have seen his face. He had certainly changed and matured in his years since the Fallout Zone.

Ana saw that vendors and people were pausing there attentions to look at the newcomers, but mainly it was Thomas. They smiled and waved, but Thomas looked away and hid himself between Gabriel and Fareeha, bringing up his hood to cover his face. One little girl, no more than seven, maybe eight years old, ran up to him and tugged at his coat. Thomas paused and looked down at her. She was cute, with a button nose and features yet to be hardened by life.

"Mr Byron? Is it true, did you do all the things the grown ups say you did. Slaying monsters and rescuing people? Mommy says you brought back daddies sword after he... went away." Gabriel smirked at Thomas, but saw a look of great pain on his face. He knelt down next to the girl.

"You are Alerics daughter?" She nodded, and looked sad. Thomas patted her shoulder. "He was great man. A brave man. And you." He took both her shoulder tightly. "Will live to outgrow his shadow. Now go back to your mother." She smiled and ran back gleefully. Thomas stood back up, and nodded at the woman after she scooped up the child into her arms when she waved. Thomas turned and walked faster, but Gabriel caught up to him.

"Hey kid, what's wrong? These people love you. Bask a little." Thomas shook his head slowly as he walked. "You know that girl seemed to like you. You did them a great service bringing them this Alerics sword back." Again Thomas shook his head. He looked up at Gabriel with eyes that were older than his body.

"I should have brought back the man, not the sword." And he walked faster to the front of the group, and Gabriel let him. Gabriel thought on what he had heard his own father say once. 'It is not the faces of the survivors you remember most.'

Later.

Thomas did what he had been doing to hide his feelings for years. He worked. When they saw the APC's Thomas stripped off his coat and set to work, sliding under the vehicles and examining them critically. Occasionally he would call out things like 'What's the freezing point on these lines?' And 'How resistant are these tires to slashes?'

Ana also had the the pleasure of meeting Derek Bell, the man who Thomas greatly insulted. He seemed knowledgeable, but for both his and Thomas's sake Ana would be careful to keep the two apart.

Lena had seen the exchange between Thomas and the girl. It had been cute. So as he was organizing some of the supplies they would load into the APC's Lena spoke to him about it.

"You know." She began. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to go out to those people. Reintroduce yourself to them. 'Yes it is I. Thomas Byron, Shadow of Alaska, sorry men, I'm taken." She smiled. She was joking, but Thomas glared at her from the corner of his eyes. He went back to the supplies, some tools and toolboxes mostly. Lena continued though. She figured that if Thomas went out there and saw the people admiring him, it could boost his spirits.

"I'm just saying. It wouldn't hurt to go out and show them the hero has returned. You know? Maybe say hello, sign a few autographs, take some pict-" She was cut off as Thomas snapped the tool case shut so hard that Lena was surprised that it didn't break. The resounding thud rebounded through the garage, startling several of the workers as well. Thomas leaned in close to Lena with an Anger Lena had never seen directed towards her.

"You don't know why I keep my distance from these people.' He whispered, but it was so full of malice and anger that it made Lena shiver slightly."You don't know anything. I have my reasons for everything. Reasons you cannot begin to understand. You don't know anything about them or my involvement with them. Do not bring this up again." Lena was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly again.

"Thomas, maybe if you went out there, I think you could-"

"I don't care what you think." Thomas spat in a hurtful tone. "I have my reasons. Do not bring this up again." And he stalked off, leaving the supplies on the table. A mechanic scrambled out of his way as he walked past, anger seemingly emanating off of him. Lena was left there, frowning to herself. She began packaging the tools up, carefully setting them aside. 

Later at dinner Lena apologized to Thomas. And he apologized as well. And then the near sibling rivalry started an apology war over who was more sorry. And that signified that they were fine together again.

The group would leave the next morning at eight. For the night they would sleep and rest for the coming days. Unlike the base at Gibraltar this base had bunks in two large rooms. Apparently it was so they could heat the one room effectively and not tax the electricity. Thomas had a bad habit of waking up in the middle of the night with screaming. If he did that in front of people... there would be no end to it. Or worse, the end would appear sooner than Thomas wanted. So he lay back and waited until he was certain everyone slept soundly. He heard a creak in the beds springs as he rose up and froze, slowly getting up from the bed. Thomas wasted no time in putting on his boots and coat before slipping out of the room. Far above the skies were clear.

There were no lights in the city. They only came on at night during emergencies. But kerosene lamps and candles and fires still cast long shadows all along the city. Many moved and flickered, and while the city still slept safely. Thomas put the hood up around his head and attached a mask that masked the upper half of his face. He walked along the streets to the market and up to one of the stalls. An omnic hosted the shop at night, but she was cool. Thomas didn't hate omnics, he was just more cautious of them. Most of them were cool though. Like Zenyatta. Zenyatta was a good omnic. Thomas bought a fruit that grew in Alaska. As strange as that sounded some fruit grew in caves or the 'warm' areas of the Fallout Zone. The fruit was sort of like a spiny pear, but it was red like an apple. The spines of the fruit were edible and soft, but were more sour than the rest of the sweet fruit. As Thomas walked away and bit into the fruit he couldn't help but think it wasn't as sweet as he remembered.

'It may just be a bad season or something.' Thomas thought to himself as he wiped away juice from his chin. Then another thought occurred to him. He'd been spoiled in Overwatch. The food he got with Ana and on dates with Jesse or hanging out with his friends had adjusted his taste pallet. When he first got in Overwatch he'd eaten himself sick on the rich and flavorful food. Twice. It had taken him two weeks to adjust to the taste and flavor of food. Now he was home and- no. He wasn't home. Thomas turned and looked back at the market. Never before would vendors have dared to stay out after dark like that. This wasn't his home. Not anymore. He had grown this place. Designed it. Safeguarded it. But it wasn't his. He didn't belong here. Not for the first time in his life Thomas couldn't help but feel like a relic. Like he was from a time that wasn't now. Thomas thought about his powers and was tempted to use them. To remind himself that they were there. But he didn't.

He turned away and walked down an alley. He'd gotten jumped here before. By two goons. They'd both been killed by him. Thomas made his way to a small pier away from the port. The water was lazy underneath him. Small chunks of ice frothed and the water was like a slushie. Lighting up a cigarette Thomas watched the waves until he heard a footstep behind him. Thomas felt his instincts kick in and jumped up. He hurled his fruit at the unknown person, but they caught it.

"Whoa there Conejito. I'm just checking on you. I heard you slip away." Olivia took a bite from a side Thomas hadn't. "MMmmm. Tastes kinda like an orange." She took another bite and sat on a bench on the pier. Thomas stood there looking at her.

"Well come on Thomas. I didn't come out to freeze my nipples off." Thomas smiled and sat down. Olivia took another bite of the fruit.

"This is really sweet. But sour too. So why are you stalking around back alleys and piers like a sadder version of Bat Man?" Thomas leaned back on the bench. It was solidly constructed and not covered in poison darts from failed assassinations. This city really had changed.

"I don't know."

"You are still such a bad liar. How does an assassin not know how to lie?" Thomas shook his head.

"I have no idea." Olivia's face softened.

"Okay. Spill it. What's wrong?" Thomas grumbled quietly.

"I'm just not that tired." Olivia's face fell. She put a hand on Thomas's shoulder.

"It's the nightmares, isn't it?" She said quietly. Thomas nodded solemnly.

"They're getting worse again. And this time we can't just get drunk or high and forget about it. Ana doesn't even want me smoking anymore."

"Doesn't seem to be stopping you."

"Hey, tomorrow I have to guard two dozen people in three vehicles as they drive two hundred miles. I'm smoking as much as I want during this mission." Olivia nodded.

"Can I have one?" Thomas lit an additional cigarette for Olivia, and for several minutes the two just smoked and watched the water. Olivia kept her smile and tapped Thomas on the shoulder.

"Watch this." And she blew a bit of smoke is the shape of a ring. It was far from perfect, with shaky edges and not quite connected lines. The wind blew it apart quickly. Somehow Olivia had figured out how to do that with cigarettes, Thomas had only ever seen that with cigars. Thomas wondered if Olivia knew that just being near here was calming to him, or if she just didn't know what to say. Either way, when the cigarette went out Thomas let it burn itself out on the round. The filter was soon nothing but a small pile of dust, which would continue to decompose rapidly until nothing was left. Thomas doesn't litter. 

At some point he got up and followed Olivia back to the barracks. He slipped back in without notice and lay on the bed, falling asleep instantly. He slept so well that night. No nightmares. No monsters. The next morning he couldn't help but smile. Wind raced overhead, grasping the tops of the pine tree and pulling away needles and snow. The three APC's were all prepped, and everyone filed into one of the three. Gabriel filed into the first one, followed mainly by some mercenaries and people Thomas didn't know.  
The second APC held most of the Overwatch Agents, and another few mercenaries. The third held mostly local agents. Thomas was in the second APC, riding shotgun while a nice women named Jasmine drove. Everyone else was in the back storage, talking to each other. Jasmine had shoulder length brown hair that reminded Thomas of Chocolate. Her eyes were a bright green, and she had soft cheeks and dimples and was overall very pretty. She was also really nice to Thomas.

"Yeah. I came here about three years ago. I have some family that lives here in Anchorage. I figured that I could go put myself in massive debt going to college, or I could come here and help clean this part of the country up."

"And they let you come here? What about the quarantine?"

"The radiation had been largely filtered out of most of the country. Kind of like Chernobyl. They scan you and check your I.D. but that's about it." Thomas nodded.

"Is it true you actually fought the monsters? By yourself?" Thomas nodded again. She'd been steadily pushing the conversation towards his past in the Fallout zone.

"Yeah. I did. They aren't as scary as everyone thinks. Most of them are animals. Kinda like bears or wolves. If you just respond appropriately they'll leave you alone." Jasmine nodded.

"Okay, which ones are the worst? Which ones are the, 'if you see this you're screwed.' monster?"

"Easy, the Yenaldooshi." Jasmine glanced at Thomas.

"The what? That Navajo legend?" Thomas shook his head.

"It's not a legend. They're real. They like to eat people. They play these psychological games. They aren't like the ones in the Navajo legends. They're bigger. They've got four arms, with two like a humans and one growing out of either of the shoulder blades. The normal arms have normal wands, but the shoulder blade arms are tipped with a single large claw the use to kill prey. They tap on the doors and windows of isolated homes. Two minute intervals. Always two minutes. They're skin is like a humans, but droopier. Darker. Like they were sunburned. They're head is like a dears, but rotten with a mouthful of sharp teeth. It's guts and bits of previous meals leak out there open stomachs and slip onto the ground. The hold you by the shoulder and screech at you before lunging. They drive those thick teeth into the throat and yank out your throat, all while skewering them with the shoulder claws through there back. Then they take the arms and pulls in four different directions, ripping the arms and head free while holding the Torso, abdomen and legs. They mimic the voices of victims perfectly, and will take the gnawed corpses and hoist them up on trees near settlements. When some gets close, it grabs the person, decapitates them and runs off, holding its new prize. They dangle bits of there victims throughout its territory. They are easily eight feet tall each, and are nearly invincible." Jasmine had a look of terror meets horror on here face.

"You fought one of these things?!" Thomas touched a scar under his ear. Like the others it was jagged, but deeper than others.

"Yeah. One. I never could kill him, but I took of one of his arms with a gun once." Jasmine slipped away from the conversation, and Thomas somewhat regretted his truthful descriptions when he had no one else to talk to up front. So he waited in the seat, laying his head back and staring at the roof. The pace was slow, and they'd been driving for about six hours. The APC's were constantly mapping the terrain, mapping and scanning for Muskegs and bogs and snow drifts that were to deep to escape. The old highway system was fairly intact, though the APC's had to go single file most of the way due to plant overgrowth.

As they were driving a tree collapsed on the first APC, and the second one spun and swerved to avoid it. A thundering crash was heard and the second APC flipped over on its side. Thomas smashed his head against the window and saw the glass had a spiders web of cracks in it. Jasmine popped the driver door open and poked her head out to examine what was happening. Thomas was pushing against the glass when he felt Jasmine land on him. He pushed against her to free himself, and felt something hot on his face and the back of his head. It was her intestines. The entire half of her body above her belt was gone, leaving loops of organs. Thomas opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

He sat straight up on the bench. It was the pier. Olivia was looking at him with concern.

"Shit. That fast? You were only out for twenty minutes!" Thomas nodded and put a hand to his chest. He felt it beating slowly. An audible, buh bump. Buh bump. Every second. He shook his head. A thin layer of snow had collected, and he felt like a bog shaking his mane clean as he knocked the snow off. With a prolonged sigh he stood up. Olivia raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Where are you off to?"

"The wall. I'm going to try and clear my head. Try to remember what I just dreamed." Olivia stood up.

"Okay. Before you go though." She held up the mostly eaten fruit. "Like old times?" Thomas smiled.

"You always loved that trick. You would make me do it for hours, laughing your ass off." Olivia nodded and threw the core of the fruit into the air. Thomas concentrated hard, and watched as the spinning fruit got slower and slower. Eventually it was so slow he could count the bits of fruit flying off it midair. Thomas summoned his bow, and fire three times. When the fruit landed in Olivia's hand again, it had three silvery arrows stuck in it in a triangle shape. The arrows remained for a moment, a sivler tial escapeing its end before it fluttered out of existence, the only thing left to say it was once there the impacts on the core of the fruit.

Olivia laughed quietly. "Never gets old." She stepped forward and put the fruit on top of Thomas's head. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was a sisterly kiss, nothing more. As she turned and walked back to the barracks she called out to him. "Try to get some sleep. Big day tomorrow!" Thomas watched her walk away Thomas looked at the wall. He rarely had two nightmares in one night. So he followed her to the barracks and slipped back inside his building, laying back on the cot and staring at the roof.

At some point Thomas blinked and it was morning. Not quite daylight. but morning. Some people moved slowly, as if they to were slipping back into consciousness. Thomas had slept in his clothes, leaving only his coat off. Sitting straight up in the bed Thomas took the coat and left the barracks. Outside people were stirring. A few lights had come on, but there was no sun. The sun wouldn't rise until much later in the day. Then it would set a scant few hours later. Soon after the sun would set, and night would consume for another three and a half quarters of the day.

The cafeteria was much less busy when compared to last night. Thomas decided to drink actual coffee, not just a sugary drink like he normally got from coffee shops. As soon as he took a sip from the coffee provided he scrunched his face, distaste apparent. With the addition of what could only be an unhealthy amount of sugar and cream added Thomas walked out of the building, sipping his now lukewarm caffeine. That's the thing no one knew until they felt it. These lands aren't just cold, they suck the warmth out of you. The coldest places don't just grab you with icy fingers, they draw the warmth out of you. And you can see it to. It's like a warm mist of varying colors. and it leaves you. You feel it, in the same way you feel that cool feeling in your gut when you drink ice cold water after a long and hot days work.

Thomas boarded the APC's. He was in the first one, along with Gabriel, Lena, three of the mercenaries, and this guy named Sigmund. Gabriel was driving the vehicle, Thomas rode shotgun, and the rest of the people were stashed in the seats in the back. The APC was nice, for a military vehicle. It was air tight and well heated. The seats were a form of plastic that was reasonably soft and comfortable and were comfortably enough to rest in for long periods of time. The old roads and highways of the Fallout Zone were in tatters. The ramps were collapsing in bogs, retention ponds and Muskegs. Overpasses were nothing but rubble. Rusted and frozen hulks of cars and vehicles were scattered on the roads, making passage difficult.

After an hour of driving they had had to take three different detours with the repulsors on. After three hours they had had to take a total of eight detours and twice they had to stop for Thomas to get out and orientate them. They had traveled less then 70 miles in the three hours they had been gone, and the sun was already starting to set. The nights were to long to simply avoid traveling in them, but night was also when the more dangerous creatures and people came out to play. They could either put the repulsors on max, hovering about seven feet off the ground and avoid most of the obstacles, but doing that would tax the power reserves. And with only three, maybe four hours of daylight the solar re-chargers would be hard pressed to get enough juice to keep it up. So they went forward slowly on the ground. The headlights were a dead giveaway that someone was there, but the APC's were strong enough to scare away anyone smart. And anyone dumb could be dealt with easily.

It was slow going though. At least it was until the horseman arrived. They showed up, hoisting various weapons. Metal lances made from sharpened car bumpers. Guns, bows and arrows. One had a grenade launcher hoisted up. They stood in front of the convoy, and more horseman showed up on either side. Many wore various bits and pieces of gear. Some had old U.S. army helmets, with the U.S.A. scratched out and replaced with F.Z.P. (Fallout Zone Patrol). Some had Canadian army Jackets, and many had bits of metal strapped to there chests and arms as armor. They horses had a mix of old Kevlar and pieces of metal sewn together as armor. The man at the head pulled of his hood. He was an Inuit man, with pale features and a crooked nose. His lips tugged downwards in an emotionless frown.

"Why have you entered our lands with your machines?" His voice was deep and reverberated across the plains. Thomas sat up.

"Stay here. Don't fire, don't speak, don't do anything." Gabriel looked at Thomas as he pulled on his coat and felt a bit of worry flash through. These guys had guns. Thomas was good, but could he survive if they attempted to shoot him?

"You know them?" Thomas shook his head.

"No. But I know the customs. They may not shoot me." Gabriel nodded as Thomas opened the door and exited.

Thomas made his way slowly, making sure to keep in the light and keep his hands clasped together behind him. His head was bowed, with his chin touching his chest as a mark of respect. When he arrived in front of the man he Unclasped his hands and stood tall. The man regarded Thomas uncaringly, but got off his horse. He was shorter than Thomas, and when closer Thomas saw his features were remarkably flat. He regarded Thomas, and gestured to the two people next to him. The two men got off there horses as well, and stood next to the man. The first man gestured to a second, who spoke.

"Our leader will talk to you, through me. It is right for negotiators to speak together, and leaders to speak together." Thomas nodded.

"I understand these terms. Let your leader speak his mind to you, as mine will speak his to me." The man nodded and stepped back with his leader. The second man stood tall over Thomas, not speaking, not moving. Thomas stood, back straight and respectful of his. When the leader returned, the negotiator spoke.

"My leader first wishes that you state your purpose in our lands. then he wishes to exchange names. Mine, yours, his and your leader's." Thomas nodded.

"These terms are fair and reasonable. I accept, as does my leader for I am in his stead." The two men clasped arms together, holding each others elbows and stared into each others eyes before releasing.

"You are familiar with our ways. Yet I do not know your face. My name is Kaltag. Kaltag of the Patolz tribe."

"I am Thomas. Thomas Byron." Something flashed in the leaders eyes. he whispered something into Kaltag's ear. He nodded.

"This is our leader. Akand, leader and shaman of the Patolz tribe." 

"And our leader, whom I asked to remain in the machine, Is Gabriel Reyes." The leader nodded and whispered in Kaltag's ear again.

"The Shaman recognizes your name. He's says you were the guardian of Wanton Pass. And. That you are the enemy of the Frontiersman." He said the last bit with a dangerous tone. Thomas saw someone shift to his left. Another horseman shifted, resting the barrels on his arm. If he so desired he could accurately fire easily. Thomas stared at Kaltag.

"Is that a problem?" The Shaman stepped forward. He stared directly at Thomas, his flat face and eyes not moving but still taking in everything. Then he stepped backwards. He spoke in Kaltag's ear again.

"The Shaman says that an enemy of the Frontiersman is a friend to the Patolz. They have been raiding our territory recently. And the territory of many tribes and villages. They arrive and demand tribute. They take the fishing grounds, and loot our farms." Thomas nodded at his words. All of that sounded like the Frontiersman.

"Back to the issue at hand, what do you require to allow us to pass your lands unhindered?" The Akand and Kaltag stepped backwards to talk. They talked for several minutes, moving hands sparing an occasional glance at Thomas and the convoy. Eventually they returned.

"Akand requires you to aid is in the construction of a- gen-r-ator." He sounded it out like the word was not familiar to him, more so like it left a bad taste to simply say. Thomas's spirits fell a little inside.

"Okay. How far along are you?"

"We, my people, have an... outline. The... framework of a generator. But we cannot..." He moved his hands as he thought. "We cannot assemble the... intricacies. The generator was already assembled, but was broken by the Frontiersman." He spat their name. "We have the general bits assembled according to a book we have. But we are not skilled enough to finish it. Akand remembers a boy who could fix anything. Come to our village center, twenty miles north of here. Your vehicles and people can rest for however long you wish, as guests. You will also receive safe passage, and guaranteed protections throughout our territory and its extensions. The fastest routes through our territory." Thomas nodded. Twenty miles north. That was along the way. A safe spot of respite for the night, err- most of the night. Plus it was important to keep good food in the groups bellies. If you didn't, well Thomas was familiar with the rule of nine. It only takes nine misses meals before the most zealous of individuals begins to turn savage and attack others. The group had rations, but most of them tasted like the plastic they were packaged in. Having a good meal, a good Inuit meal. That would be nice. Inuit's knew how to cook. All of this passed through Thomas head in less than five seconds.

"I must speak to my leader. But if he agrees, I find the terms hospitable, and favorable to both parties. Our aid in your mechanical mishap, in exchange for safety and transport through your lands." Akand nodded to Kaltag, who nodded at Thomas.

"Akand bids you leave. But return swiftly. It is not always safe after nightfall." Thomas nodded, bowed and walked to the APC. As soon as he climbed in he shook himself free of the snow that had collected on him.

"Are you okay?" Asked Gabriel, concern evident in his voice. Thomas knocked more snow off of him and nodded.

"Fine. They say, that is the tall one, Kaltag, and the flat faced one, Akand, that they will provide safety and shelter to us in there territory, and guide us through there territory, on the safest and the fastest routes." Gabriel nodded.

"And in return?"

"We stay the night at there village, about twenty miles north. At least long enough for me and the engineers to fix up a generator for them."

"How long will that take?" Gabriel was scanning the crowd around us. Many of the horseman had dismounted, and were feeding the horses. It was a good sign, it meant they were relaxed.

"Depends. Were brought a couple of mechanics with us. We have tools. They just said they needed the sensitive components put in, that they were afraid of breaking the generator worse trying to fix it." Gabriel nodded again. The thought of spending time in possibly hostile territory was not appealing. But this entire country was hostile territory. Lena chimed into the conversation.

"Sir, it's along the way anyway. Plus we can have it easy for a night." One of the mercenaries spoke up as well.

"Sir for what it's worth, my two cents say go ahead. I don't know this tribe in particular, but most Inuit are good folk. Kind and loyal folks. Plus sir, have you ever had Inuit food? It's better than this." He held up an opened MRE packet. The 'food' looked like a freeze dried peanut butter and jelly sandwich with specks of red on it. Gabriel tapped his communicator.

"Ana, they want us to stay at their village for a night. No. No. Yes. They need a generator fixed. They'll show us the quickest way. I know that, but unless you have a better way of getting over the mountains. No the repulsors can't go that high. Got it. Ana's okay with it." Thomas smiled.

"Great. I'll go tell them they have a deal. You keep doing nothing so you don't spook them." Thomas pushed open the door and stepped back out into the snow. He approached the group and announced to Kaltag that Gabriel accepts. The two men nodded and people began remounting horses.

The village itself was beautiful. Most Inuit people had two villages. One for when the snow was light, one for when the snow was heavy. Though these days the snow was always heavy. It snowed in southern Italy and Spain yearly now. The village was made mainly of huts were wooden with animal skins over the wooden structure. Maybe twenty huts were scattered around a large clearing at the top of a hill. A basic wooden fence with stakes surrounded the camp, and villagers cleared away some of the stakes to let the vehicles pass. Thomas stepped out first. The only solid structure was a central tower about two, maybe two and a halt stories high. It looked like a border tower, something miners used to put up when mining for gold, silver, zinc and the like. The Inuit people had chosen a good spot for there camp. Easy to defend, and with the frozen lake nearby for ice fishing. Fresh water nearby, plus some prime hunting and gathering locations.

As Overwatch personnel began exiting the APC's little kids ran up, with mothers chasing them in tow. They stared up at the various soldiers, watching them stretch and unpack some of the equipment. Akand stepped forward.

"Now that you are guests in my village, I may speak to you personally. Welcome. My daughter Amka, will show you to your quarters for the night, but you are welcome to rest wherever you wish, as long is it not in violation of another's privacy." Thomas bowed to Akand, tipping his head at the man in acknowledgement.

"Thank you Akand. Your village is truly beautiful, and your kindness more so. We shall uphold our end of the bargain with the same vigor you have so far upheld yours." Akand smiled.

"Very good." He turned to the villagers assembled, drawn by strange sounds and sights. "Everyone! Everyone hear me! These people, are under our protection! They are not to be harmed! However," He turned to look at Thomas. "Our rules still apply to them." Thomas nodded and Akand gestured for him to step forward and speak.

"People of the Patolz tribe, we will uphold all laws in there entirety. As it is your custom to share what you can with guests, it is our to repay kindness as such." Akand turned his gaze out to his people and nodded. A few cheers went up, but mostly people returned to there normal activities. Only the children seemed to be truly riveted by the arrival of the newcomers. 

Gabriel stepped into the hut that served as a sort of storage area. Thomas had on a T shirt and pants, and was bent over the generator. A book was on the table near him, with inscriptions on several of the pages. Twisted bits of metal were on a separate table, and Thomas was installing the last few bits to the generator. The way he was bent over the machine gave anyone who was walking in a great few of Thomas's firm ass. A view which Gabriel was quick if somewhat reluctant to look away from.

"Hey kid, I brought you dinner." Thomas turned and Gabriel couldn't help but smile at him. When replacing the fuel pipe Thomas hadn't locked down the proper valve, and it shot thankfully cooled fluid onto his cheek. Thomas hands were dirty, covered in grime. His T shirt was stained beyond belief and he smelt like a mechanic after a days work, even though he'd only been working for about an hour. He took a rag and wiped off his hands. After he'd cleaned himself off slightly he accepted the plate and a fork and sat down next to Gabriel, quickly taking a bit of the fish. It was good, kinda sweet.

"Thanks Gabe. You know what kinda fish this is?" Gabriel shook his head.

"No idea. It's good though." Gabriel took another bite of his food. Shit he was so bad at this. "Hey kid." Thomas looked up at him, fork in his mouth.

"Yeah?"

"You did good today. Real good. You took a situation that could have been really bad and made it really good."

"Just doing my job." Gabriel laughed.

"Kid you're a guide. Don't short yourself kid, you did really well out there. You know I love Lena like family, but do you think if she went out there it would have gone as well? You took a situation where we were surrounded by hostiles on three sides, with them ready to shoot us, and convinced them to feed us and let us stay in there fortified camp for the night. That's impressive. You did good out there. And for what it's worth, i'm really happy you came along with us. Makes me feel better knowing that I'll have someone I can trust leading the way." Thomas smiled.

"You trust me?" Gabriel nodded dramatically.

"I wouldn't have wanted you on this mission if I didn't. I realize where you came from, Talon, I realize that maybe you don't fit the 'Good guy' trope. But then again neither do I. you saved my life, more importantly you've never given me a reason to doubt you." Thomas couldn't help but smile widely.

Honestly Gabriel had always liked Thomas. From the moment he found out that the smart mouth fought Jack and managed to get several punches in he had liked him. At first he had been a disrespectful little shit, and in many ways he still was, but over time he grew on Gabriel more and more. The more he found out about Thomas, the more he felt drawn to him. Jesse still joked around that Gabriel would make an excellent mommy one day. But for whatever reason it may be here he was, regularly eating meals with Thomas. At several points there lives had been in the others hands. And now here he was, noticing various things about him. Like that way he wraps his mouth around the fork. Or the way his pants hug his ass and make it look really nice. Gabriel knew Thomas had a crush on both him and Jack. Not even from the fact that Jesse had told them, but from the way Thomas acted around them. The main reason neither Jack nor Gabriel had made a move is because Thomas was nervous about his feeling and they didn't want to put him in an awkward spot.

As Thomas ate Gabriel noticed something.

"Wait I thought you didn't like fish."

"No fish like this is fine. I just don't like it when it... you know... looks at me." Gabriel snorted and chuckled. "Shut up! I just don't like it when my food looks at me. I hate killing animals. Honestly I just hate killing in general." Gabriel paused his eating.

"Thomas, if you weren't in Overwatch, what would you want to be doing?" Thomas shook his head.

"Hell no. I told Jack, I told Ana, they both promised not to laugh and laughed." Gabriel nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay, easy problem, easy solution. I just won't promise not to laugh." Thomas elbowed him the ribs and Gabe chuckled. 'That almost tickled.' He thought to himself. "So spill. What is it."

"You're an asshole." Was all Thomas said. Now Gabriel took his chance to elbow Thomas.

"And so are you. Spill it." Thomas took a bite of fish and shook his head.

"Fine. So... I uh... I always wanted to... open up a candy shop in a small city." Gabriel looked at Thomas, letting him keep talking. "Nothing big. Just like, a corner store. I'd have candy and snacks and junk foods. And I could make some of the candy as a special store recipe. If I ever have kids pass on the 'secret family recipe.'" Gabriel couldn't help but smile at that.

"Would you want kids? Someday?" Thomas shrugged.

"Don't know. I wouldn't know what to do with them. My parents were shit, as you're well aware. And I can't even seem to get my own shit in order, let alone keep other peoples. And how would I protect them?" Thomas shook his head solemnly.

"You know kid I think you'd make a great parent one day." Thomas scoffed.

"Yeah? Why?"

"You really do care for people. You can cook and you know how to talk to little kids. Someday, I think you'd be an excellent parent. Better than yours were." The last part was a gamble. Thomas could get really pissed off over that. But he didn't. He smiled and shook his head.

"Yeah. Maybe one day."

Fixing the generator was easy, and after cleaning up, which was awkward without a shower, Thomas felt clean-ish. He had on fresh clothes and only slightly smelled like the generator he repaired. Thomas could have let the mechanics work on the generator, but he decided to let them build the spare Akand requested. Actually, Thomas had built the original model that he fixed himself. The only reason it was broken is because they put the wrong fuel in it. That and the fact someone saw fit to fire buckshot into it. Now that mostly everyone had gotten a chance to eat and sleep for the night the sun was rising. They hadn't made the distance they wanted to yesterday, so today they would have to make up the difference. Akand saw them off from the village, thanking Thomas and gifting the group with wrapped fish for the journey and a few coats and blankets. Thomas had accepted the gifts for the group, and they left with an escort of six horseman and the good wishes of the Patolz tribe. Now that the generator was fixed, the repair book updated so they could better understand it, and spare generator complete they could power emergency lights and technology. There culture was mostly traditional, but in times like these having the ability to turn on lights and have power was life and death.

And similarly lucky for them was that the Patolz tribe territory extended another fifty miles north. At least they shared the territory with other tribes that would not hurt the group. When the time came to send off the horseman back home six hours later Thomas wished them luck. In a quarter day they'd gone far, but not far enough. And without the horseman to guide the expedition they wound up on the main highway again, travelling slowly and avoiding cars. The woods were getting thicker, and another mountain range loomed overhead. Winds gusted so strong that Thomas saw great plumes of snow get whipped upwards in a frenzy and then settle down elsewhere. Now that they left the lands traditionally inhabited by Inuit and settlers, thing were getting worse.

The trails and shortcut became fewer and they went shorter. The roads held fewer cars but were also less ideal to travel on. More and more segments of the road dipped sideways into the bogs and muskegs. Puddles of frozen water made hydroplaning a real possibility and problem. The third car had crashed about an hour ago, though the APC wiped out the rusted wreck of a pickup truck without damage. Everything was slowly deteriorating. Then the sky started falling.


	20. Claw to leg, and you're to late, you give lovin', a bad name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I took a vacation since summer came in and have been out for about eight days. I didn't want to post from the phone. Now I'm home, and the next chapter is about half written. And I'm sorry to announce that the next two, maybe three chapters will be smut free and plot orientated. After that though I have some special things planned. Thanks for reading, enjoy.

Not literally of course. This isn't Chicken Little. No aliens were invading. But the sky was falling. Chunks of hail specifically. Each one was large, but they varied from about the size of an American penny to the size of Baseball. One that fell on the windshield was the size of a grapefruit. Normally hail wasn't a problem for a vehicle like this. But combined with the wind they spun wildly and hit the APC's from all angles. And when the solid balls of ice hit the more sensitive parts of the APC, like the exhaust, or the repulsor disks, things go bad.

So now the group needed shelter. Badly. And Thomas did know a place. And so he led them there. It was a quiet place in the mountains. They could park the APC's in a safe space. There would hopefully still be food and water there. Warm beds. Fireplaces. Everything they would need. It was unfortunately high up on the mountains.

"So how much farther to this place kid? Avalanches are in season right now."

"I know. I know. Look, you said you trusted me, trust me. It's another half mile on this road and a left. There's a big tower hidden by the trees, but you should see the base of it."

"And you're certain this is our best route?" Thomas looked at him incredulously.

"Fuck no I'm not! But you remember the cave and the robot. I don't want that to be us!" One of the Mercenaries, a scrawny white man named Gary with blonde hair, leaned over to Lena.

"What cave are they talking about?"

"Oh they scouted a cave with a drone and this monster killed it." Gary nodded, alarm growing in him. But he swallowed it down. This whole thing was screwed up. He knew how to gather food and could guide them through the worst blizzards. But something still felt wrong to him.

From inside the vehicle no one could see much of anything, but something was in the road. It was large and law on its side. The convoy jerked to a stop, weapons drawn. It wasn't an animal though. It was a pile of concrete and rubble. From the tower. The repulsors went on, but the hail must have damaged at least one of the repulsors because the APC pitch and yawed, forcing Gabriel to wrestle with the controls and nurse the APC along. Thomas got up and glanced behind him, watching the other vehicles similarly struggle over the rubble.

"This isn't right. That's not recent. The citizens of outpost epsilon would never let that lay unfixed. It's the key" He turned to the front and his jaw dropped, "To there entire early warning system." The gates, once twenty foot tall full iron bars, were blown apart. Both lay, detached from there hinges, on the ground. The wooden towers on either side of the gate were firewood now. The ladders lay burnt, the balconies blasted apart the support splintered. The large concrete wall had a half dozen holes in it, and an entire quarter of it lay in a pile. The base had sat nestled inside an excavated section of mountain, was steep walls protruding directly upwards hundred of meters. No one could climb them without being spotted, and with the steep incline to even reach the gates the base was perfect for settlement. Thomas had helped the people, who named the base Outpost Epsilon, repair the buildings above and below ground and clear out the monsters. He knew them. They were his friends. Below the settlement a series of old natural and mined caves, excavated by the Americans during World War 2 in case the Japanese took Alaska, and stretched deep under the mountains, like fingers searching through sand.

The buildings had black rings burnt into them, and as the APC's slowed in front of what was once the gate Thomas saw that the office the guard would stay in during guard duty was burned to a crisp, with a blackened skeleton still in the chair.

'I wonder if I knew them.' Thought Thomas. Gabriel again brought the APC into repulsor mode, driving over the gates and parking in the main courtyard. Above the courtyard the large canvas was ripped and tattered, but intact enough to block most of the hail. It was collected and falling through a hole, piling onto the ground like a stack of baseballs that was kicked over. Thomas stepped out of the APC and began looking around. The stalls from merchants were kicked and broken. Glass crunched underfoot, and he heard wind blowing through the windows and doors. It whipped at the canvas and tugged at the few remaining pieces of the towers that stood straight up. There were no lights. No hum of conversations. No shuffle of guards moving around. Nothing. Thomas ran up to one of the doors and shouldered his rifle. As worried as he was for his friends here he knew there may be monsters here. He didn't want to join them if they were dead.

Gabriel was quick to follow Thomas. He ordered Lena to keep the expedition ready to move, and ordered two of the mercenaries to sweep another building. As the other two APC's parked people got out and established a secure point around the APC's. People manned the the turrets on top, pointed in various directions and Jason grabbed a heat monitor, scanning the buildings. Two drones were deployed, and two of the the operatives were piloting them, mainly keeping a birds eye for anything unsavory nearby. Two more soldiers followed Thomas and Gabriel, as well as the two in the other building. Everyone received a communication to not enter the tunnels, and if they were opened to exit the building immediately because something was down there in tunnels. If the exits to the tunnels were closed leave them.

Gabriel was scanning the rooms on the left, Thomas the ones on the right. If the doors were closed they would glance in through the windows. If no obvious holes were in room they would leave it. Thomas just wanted them to not get jumped by something and/or eaten. Once the building was cleared Thomas heard the HMMMMMMM of one of the turrets firing. Thomas ran fast, sliding out the door into the snow. The group all had guns trained on one corner of the large central area. The double doors there led to the command center. One was ripped off its hinges, the other hanging by the bottom most hinge. It had several fresh scorch marks in it from laser fire. Next to it was a large pile of flesh, organs and blood that had been seconds ago an animal. Gabriel was jsut behind him, but before he could speak Thomas cut him off.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!" He demanded. The man who fired the turret froze, starring at him. Thomas stalked up to him, glaring daggers. "WELL?"

"Uh, the thermal picked up something, and I fired when it left the room."

"So you see a random heat signature and your first instinct was to annihilate it?! Do you know nothing?! We are in an area that had clearly been attacked, how did you know that wasn't a survivor?!" Thomas shook his head. "I thought they stopped giving monkeys guns. You!" He pointed at one of the Overwatch soldiers. "Get on the turret, have more self control than him!" And Thomas walked to the door, bright flashlight aimed at it. The pile of organs clearly wasn't human just from the smell. Thomas walked closer and saw some hooves. He shook his head and walked back to the soldier who shot the animal.

"It was a deer. This is why you get visual confirmation to fire. Do not, ever, let that happen again." The man, despite being taller and bigger than Thomas looked genuinely scared. He nodded and Thomas turned, moving towards the room the deer had walked out of. Ana was quick to follow, as well as Lena. Gabriel took two other soldiers with him, and the six people advanced to the door slowly, guns and flashlights trained at the door. Thomas was the first in. He swept the flashlight along the room, scanning the tops of filing cabinets and chairs. Then he lowered his flashlight.

On the ground were bodies. Dozens of them. Adults, children. All of them were gathered in the center of the room, and judging from the fact that dozens of bones were splintered from violent impacts and the sheer amount of bullets holes in the wall it wasn't hard to guess what had happened. Thomas felt the flashlight fall out of his hand, and saw the beam of light roll on the ground before settling. He stepped forward, hands drooping and clutched tightly around the grip of his rifle.

"Thomas?" Thomas stepped forward and felt his feet hit somethings through his boot. He looked down, and slowly reached, while setting his rifle aside, for the object. It was a doll. Made of cloth and poorly sewn together. He recognized it. Two plastic blue gems marked its eyes, with a black button nose and a sewn on smile. Thomas hands were shaking as he clutched it.

"Kid?" Thomas glanced at the wall that his flashlights beam rested on. On it, written in faded red that could only be blood, were the words 'Sinners are Punished'. Thomas felt a hand on his shoulder, but shrugged it off. He looked amongst the bones, trying to count the number of skulls he saw. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. Forty six. Forty six intact skulls. Some of them no larger than a baby's. Bits and pieces of numerous other skulls were littered about, some shattered from impacts, some deliberately stepped one and crushed. Thomas felt like he was about to collapse to his knees when he heard it. The huff stomp stomp huff stomp stomp of an animal. A big one. That's why the deer ran out the room. The realization dawned and brought a colder feeling than the outside wind to him. It was being chased. Hunted. And here comes the hunter.

Thomas turned and looked around. Between the wind howling and the reverberation of the growling Thomas couldn't locate where it was coming from.

"Get away from the doors!" He shouted. As the other five people closed in around each other, it appeared. The animal was a bear, about the size of a mother Grizzly Bear but thicker, more muscle than fat. It charged in through one of the side hallways, bursting open the door with a loud crash. It charged straight through the doors, shattering them with ease and not the slightest bit of discomfort. It turned over a desk, roaring in challenge at the intruders and rising up on hind legs, swinging it's paws and shaking its jaw so violently that saliva flew from its gaping maw onto the walls and bones and the stench of rotting flesh perforated the profuse decay.

"Scatter!" Thomas shouted, drawing his pistol and firing twice as everyone ran in different directions. The bear had deep black fur that rippled as it ran, powerful muscles flexing under it. Thomas fired two shots, watching as the shots flew free and true, connecting to the bears head and chest respectively and then sliding alongside its fur without effect. With a sinking realization he realized this wasn't a normal bear.

'The bulletproof bears' Thomas thought. They weren't real bears. They were weapons made by the omnics to kill people. Their fur was as close to bullet proof as they could get at the time, and the modified bear was a master hunter. It looked real in every regard. Thomas turned and ran, jumping up on top of a table and feeling the tugged of claws against his coat, easily cutting through the fabric as the robot bear slashed at his rear end. Thomas ran out the room and down the adjacent hallway, looking to see what the rest of the group was doing.

"Don't fire!" He shouted at the people who were raising their weapons in the main room. The bullets would do nothing. The bears only weakness was the nape of the neck, where necks meets shoulder. It's where the omnics inserted all there needles and prods into the once living creature. As Thomas ran he jumped up onto a desk and leaped out, grabbing at a flagpole wedged into the corner of a wall in the hallway and hoisting himself up out of reach of the bears charge. The bear swept at him and continued to charge forward, unable to stop so soon. Then he heard the gunshots. It was the loud retort of one of Gabriel's shotguns. Turning his head Thomas watched as one of the mercenaries was pinned to the ground by a second bear, his neck in the grip on the bears jaws and his collarbone breaking under the weight of the animal. The claws of the bear went straight through the man's soft back flesh, wrapping deep into his body. He screamed, blood flowing profusely down his chin and the bear bit down hard on his neck, and with an audible snap the bear twisted and yanked hard, separating head from shoulders. The bear threw the head backwards and got up on its hind legs, roaring loudly and shaking its now bloody main back and forth as Gabriel and Lena both fired on it.

The sound of their different weapons were distinct, from the vir vir vir of Lena's pistols to the loud BOOM of Gabriel's shotguns. Ana grabbed a man's shoulder and tugged him outside as he screamed in pain, clutching his leg which was bleeding profusely from a series of deep and jagged gashes going from his knee to his ankle. Thomas ran back down the hallway, a hasty plan forming. He took his pistol and fired three times while running. The first shot struck the bears weak spot, triggering a sort of primal rage mode. It turned to him as the next two bullets struck it in the neck, doing no damage. It roared in challenge, shaking bits of fleshy sinew from its latest victim free of it mouth. It charged, and Thomas saw alarm and panic spread in both Lena's and Gabriel's faces.

"GO! OUTSIDE!" Lena nodded and began to run to the door, knowing that Thomas had a plan. She paused only to grabbed Gabriel's arm and urge him out the door. Thomas hoped his plan would work. HE had one monster bear the was six foot tall while charging at him from the front and rear. Reaching into his pocket Thomas grabbed at one of his special homemade bombs. He hit a button and threw it at the bloody bear, who snatched the treat up with ease. Before he could swallow however the cylinder expended at both ends, opening the creatures mouth widely and preventing it from biting. It roared again and tried to stop charging, pawing at its mouth to remove the strange intrusion. The other bear however had no such reason to stop charging. Thomas continued to run down the hallways back to the room. As he ran next to the wall he put all his effort into jumping up and running from desk to desk. He jumped up, putting on foot on the wall and pushing sideways, brushing up against the bears fur as he leapt over the distracted creature.

Thomas landed hard on the ground, rolling several times before stopping. Reaching for his pistol Thomas saw it lay several meters away, knocked free from his grip in the fall. As the second bear crashed head first into the bloody bear, knocking both over in a large and loud pile of fur and muscle, Thomas realized he also hadn't set the bomb to go off. He hadn't the time to do so. The bear with the bomb in its mouth looked at Thomas and roared again, trying to close it jaw so hard the metal of the bomb was beginning to bend. Luckily for Thomas, Ana wasn't about to leave the young man behind. She was at the doors, rifle drawn. She knew what Thomas was trying to do, and was scoped in on the bomb. Thomas, seeing her there, rolled under a desk, giving her a thumbs up as he rolled. Ana took the shot, nailing the bomb in the bears mouth. It went off, and a bright flash of light went off, blinding Thomas and Ana temporarily. The fire burned quickly inside the one bear, cooking its mostly robotic insides like lightning and then expanding rapidly to consume the second bear in flames. The hallway rumbled in strain, and a few rocks fell on the burning corpses, crushing them to dust. Thomas stumbled out from under the desk, but the bomb was more powerful than he meant, and he stumbled, falling to his knees as he reached for the wall for some sort of guidance. He felt something grab him, and he was yanked forwards by a pair of strong hands. 

Thomas was deposited on the snow, blinking profusely as his vision began to clear. He glanced behind him. watching the building shudder and half of it collapse onto itself from the force of the explosion. Looking up Thomas saw the people at the APC's were whipped into a fury. Soldiers were putting what few supplies had been unpacked back into the vehicles, and the man with the injured leg was being loaded into one of the APC's. Thomas stood up but stumbled a little. His leg hurt, specifically his ankle.

'Probably just got caught in the fall.' He decided. He stumbled forward, slightly favoring his right leg as his left ankle throbbed. Gabriel was right next to him, and the two walked back to the APC's together. Thomas stepped forward faster though, moving to the injured man. Angela was over him, examining the man in question.

"You'll keep the leg, don't worry." She was wrapping a bandage around his leg, but Thomas stepped forward, pushing aside a woman with an 'excuse me.'

"Wait! Let me see the leg!" Angela raised an eyebrow, but figured Thomas must have some reason. She gently unwrapped the bandages around the man, and Thomas came forward to inspect the wound. Three long and jagged lines ran free his knee to his ankle, with another line on his foot. Blood leaked from the wound, and in several areas Thomas saw bone. The wound was already beginning to froth. Thomas shook his head.

"No! Take it off it's already infected." Angela put a hand to Thomas's shoulder.

"Thomas we have medicine that can fight the infection."

"Not this one. This is an omnic designed infection. Those weren't normal bears."

"How do you know!" Came a female voice. Thomas turned to see a woman with blonde hair looking accuesdly at him. She was maybe five foot nine, with hair that was shorter than Thomas's and larger than normal cheeks.

"Because I've seen it! The poison attacks your blood cells, all of them! It solidifies the blood!" She scoffed.

"No poison can do this!"

"No normal poison! Give it an hour! He'll be burning up and begging for death! By then shooting him will be a mercy!" A second voice spoke from behind someone.

"You're supposed to be a guide! A protector! yet Gary still died in there! You couldn't protect him!" It was just like the party.

"You couldn't protect Wanton Pass! You can't protect us!" Angela watched Thomas face go from courage to sorrow in an instant. A third voice spoke, almost a whisper.

"Shadow of Alaska. He's a kid." Thomas shook his head.

"Some soldiers you are. 'Oh protect us! Save us!' When you have to put your friend down in an hour don't come crying to me." He pushed past them and began walking to another APC.

"Some protector. I heard it's his fault Sera died." That made Thomas freeze. He turned slowly, and Gabriel saw the look in his eyes. Murder.

"What did you say?" Hearing this Gabriel quickly interjected himself in the situation. He didn't want to play favorites, he needed to show that he would command his entire group equally. But if he didn't intervene, well he saw the body language. Thomas's legs were ready and his feet rested on his toes. He could lunge and kill the man who spoke in an instant. So he had to do something that he really didn't want to do.

"Soldier, stop this now." Thomas gave Gabriel a brief look of surprise, then one of utter disdain. Hatred even. Inside Gabriel felt something break at that look. Thomas turned, looking wounded, and Gabriel turned to the rest of the group, feeling the overwhelming sense of disgusting satisfaction.

"Back to work! Bandage that leg. We're off before more of those things arrive." And they set off on it. Gabriel walked back to the APC and stepped in. He didn't glance at Thomas, who was sitting in the back of the APC, but he felt pure contempt from Thomas. Ana and Fareeha and Lena all piled into the APC, as well as Jason and two other Overwatch agents.

The vehicles started up and left the destroyed complex. Thomas couldn't help but look out the window as they drove off. Luckily the hail had shrunk in both size and density. And like Thomas said, an hour later they had to shoot the wounded man, Lenard. He was screaming in pain, and they tried to help him. Medicine, cutting off the leg anyway. Technically Lenard pulled a pistol from the gun rack and shot himself. The convoy stopped, thankfully at this point the hail had as well. They wrapped Lenard up in a large blanket for storage, and put him the APC with the least people in it. Before leaving Thomas had spoken to the people who chastised him.

"You murdered Lenard." He said coldly. "You're not soldiers. You're not guides. Two men are dead, because of you. You have a choice to make. Listen to me, the only one from this forsaken hell that understands it, or die." And he simply returned to the APC, leaving the group to drink in his words. When the group returned to the APC's there was no speaking. They just drove. When Ana asked Thomas if there was anyone that would take them in for the night that was near here, Thomas just shook his head.

"They're all dead. All of them." At this Ana remembered something. She reached into her own coat, and withdrew a small package.

"Thomas, I felt you should have this." It was the doll. The one from the outpost.

"You took this with you?!" Thomas snatched up the doll, examining it closely. Aside from being several years old and clearly the possession of a small child, it was intact. He hadn't a chance to closely examine it, he'd been too caught up in events at the time. "Wha- how- whe-" He couldn't speak fast enough. Rather, he couldn't think fast enough.

"I grabbed it when you dropped it. I felt like it may be important to you." Thomas nodded, and brought the doll to his chest, holding it tightly with one hand.

"I grabbed it when you dropped it. I felt like it may be important to you." Thomas nodded, and brought the doll to his chest, holding it tightly with one hand.

"This was Sophie's doll. This women at outpost epsilon, Alyssa, she took care of orphans. She took them in, fed them, gave them toys and a bed and asked for nothing in return. I would bring her books and toys for the kids when I found them. One day when I went there looking to trade for food Sophie ran up to me, and gave me a bit of metal she had found in the caves one day. It wasn't anything particularly useful, it was just a pretty piece of metal she found. The next time I visited, I brought her this. I made this you know." Fareeha laughed.

"You made that? Like you took the material and sowed it all together?" Thomas nodded, smiling.

"She loved it. I stayed at the outpost for a week, and every time i saw her she was playing with it. When I left, I-I told her that as long as she was a good person good things would always come back to her in time." That was the last thing I ever said to her. That was the last time I saw any of them." A single tear fell down his cheek. There were no more, none in his eyes or body. Just the one tear. One more piece of him fallen and discarded. He heard Jason speak.

"Damn kid, think you can make one of those for my kid when I get back?" Thomas nodded.

"Sure. I mean probably." Thomas glanced out the window behind him, and the smile vanished. "Fuck. Guys, there's only one set of headlights behind us." That sparked the convoy to stop again. The APC in question was gone. The people inside had been locals, all of them. No one had any idea what happened, until Fareeha came down, hitting her button as her flight suit shrunk down from its bulky flight form.

"There are headlights, down the mountain several miles away. Looks like they took off." Gabriel shook his head.

"We need to keep going. We'll drive through the night to make up time. We got the burn switch on the weapons, let them keep the APC for a week to get home, then burn it too. Jason, send a message to the Garrison. If any of those people show up at one of the settlements, arrest them." Jason nodded and began typing up the message. "Good, Thomas, I need you toooooo- where's Thomas?" The young man was nowhere to be found. "Thomas!" He shouted.

"Shut Up Gabriel! I'm up here." Several people looked up, but in the darkness of night no one could see where he was. Then the leaves started ruffling and Thomas quickly climbed down the tree, letting himself fall the final fifteen feet to the ground. As usual the impact jarred him a little but did nothing as far as hurting him.

"Guys, we need to go. Now." Gabriel looked around and nodded. "Okay, let's go people." The group piled back into the APC's and took off, with Thomas glancing behind the APC.

"Thomas," said Ana. "What's out there?" Thomas shrugged.

"No idea, but it's big, it's fast, and it's jumps from tree to tree like I do." 

"Think its dangerous?"

"Probably." Then a single large claw skewered the window next to Thomas's head.


	21. Chapter 21

The reaction from Thomas was instantaneous. He summoned his hammer and slammed it into the claw, bending then breaking it. An ear piercing shriek filled the air, and a clawed fist punch the the window,foot long claws slashing and grabbing and raking through metal. They cut directly through whatever they touched, and slashed across one agents chest. The women, Chelsea, shouted and fell backwards as blood gushed freely. Thomas shoved Ana backwards, away from a claw that slashed where her head had been a moment ago. The second hand reached in and began clawing for whatever it wanted. Thomas swung his hammer down onto the things hairy, muscle clad arm, breaking and causing bright red blood to gush freely. Then a third arm appeared, and began to grab for the door handle, twisting it so hard the metal buckled. Fareeha pulled her pistol, but the APC shook and swerved from the creature moving that she couldn't get a clear shot. Thomas pushed himself away from the monster, hitting the ground and clearing Fareeha line of sight. She fired all twelve rounds, most of them hitting there mark perfectly. The door handle crumpled, and a fourth hand reached in through the window, clawing off the hinges to the door.

A head was visible, only briefly, in the window. A screwed up deer like face with a long gnarled snout and human eyes glared inside and screeched again. More gunfire sounded, and Lena fired her own guns at the monster. It was all Gabriel could do to keep the vehicle from crashing. Lena fired the, and the bullets slammed into one of the things arms. It screamed and yanked hard. The door came loose and flew off to the side, revealing the full hunched over form of a large humanoid monster. The monster, with one broken arm and the other filled with bullet holes, lashed out, all to human like hands grasping Ana's leg. Another agent leaped forward and drove a six inch knife into the things hand, but it repaid him in kind by releasing Ana and smashing it's arm onto the man's chest. Thomas watched the man crumple to the floor in a pile, either unconscious or dead. The second APC surged forward and tried to smash the monster on the hood. The creature pushed the hood with its hind leg, crushing the hood and flipping the APC with ease. Thomas grabbed his rifle with the bayonet and charged forward, stabbing the thing in the chest and letting go as it screeched and fell off of the vehicle. As it fell backwards it smashed at the rifle, crushing it easily. It grabbed Thomas's ankle as it fell and yanked him out of the vehicle. Thomas hit the ground hard and was gone in an instant.

Gabriel hit the brakes and swerved. He and Fareeha and another agent, a man named Reginald, advanced into the snow. Gabriel had turned on all lights of the APC, but even as high as the were they could only pierce about ten yards into the once again dense snowfall. The headlights of the flipped APC were visible, but going to them would be suicide.

"Gaaabbbeeee." Sounded weakly from the snow. It was Thomas, and Fareeha stepped forward before Gabriel grabbed her. Four arms, super strength. Mimics voices. "No. Fareeha, the Yenaldooshi." Fareeha looked at him like he was speaking another language, then nodded as realization dawned. Her flight suit had been smashed on her back in the melee.

"Pleassseeee." Came again. Hearing it again Gabriel heard the distortion on the voice, and while it mimicked the sound of terror and fear, it couldn't mimic the voice properly. There was a heavy stomp, a growl before three gunshots and flashes were heard and seen off to the right. The thing screeched and a shape came flying closer landing on the ground. Thomas tried to push himself up but his ankle couldn't hold the weight. He was only five meters away, but a shape dashed forward and placed a hoofed foot on his back, pushing him into the snow.

Standing on top of the young man the monster snarled, short curves claws on each hoof tapping Thomas's back. It stood up tall, eight foot easily, with knees that bent backwards of a humans. It absentmindedly groomed its injured limbs, rubbing the fresh blood on its main. Scraps of flesh, be it animal or human, clung to it in rotten and fetid clumps. Protruding teeth jutted out, all sharp and red and gory. It screeched into the air, and Thomas saw small bits of gristle land in front of his face.

The monster grabbed Thomas's hair and head, yanking it gruffly upwards with one of its not injured hands, taking another arm and placing it's clawed finger to Thomas throat, tapping it gently while staring at Gabriel. Thomas heard it hissing, quiet and clear in its message despite not using words.

"It's threatening us." Said Reginald. "This thing is blackmailing us." The monster nodded and smiled, fucking smiled at Reginald, before placing it's long deer like scrunched up mouth around Thomas's head. The hot dank stench of the monsters breathe engulfed Thomas, and he felt it's sharp teeth pressed against his temples while scraps of rotting flesh dangled just in front of his eyes. Thomas stared at Gabriel with wide, tear filled eyes. Gabriel dropped his shotguns on the ground, and the thing withdrew it mouth from around Thomas's head.

"Put your guns down." Fareeha looked at Gabriel but obeyed, as did Reginald. The monster kept a claw around Thomas's neck, and Thomas closed his eyes, shaking while his entire body was pinned by the Yenaldooshi. His ankle was of fire and throbbed along with his heartbeat. He couldn't concentrate, he couldn't think, he couldn't summon his hammer. He whimpered as he felt the things cold nose press against his head, sniffing. Thomas felt his body warm all over, but his hands were pinned under his body. He couldn't even if wasn't stuck.

At that point, a tree branch fell. It had been shot precisely at the base by Ana, cutting away most of the branch and causing it to swing. The tree branch connected squarely with The monster and knocked it off Thomas. Olivia jumped forward, slipping out of her invisibility she grabbed Thomas and hit a button, teleporting back to her beacon with her wounded friend in tow. Lena simultaneously blinked forward, pulse bomb in hand. She latched it onto the monsters neck and rewound to safety. The monster reared up to its full eight foot height and clawed at the thing drilling into its neck. It screeched a final screech and attempted to leap forward as the bomb exploded in a flash of blue light that vaporized most of its body. The remains collapsed to the ground, and the snow disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. 

Now the fun began. The wounded were gathered and supplies were taken sock off. Almost every agent helped to flip over the APC. There were no dead, thankfully, but almost everyone had been I injured to various degrees. Just being grabbed by the things hand had twisted Thomas's ankle. His hands had been stuck wrapped around Olivia, and it took Fareeha's help to pry his fingers so he could let go. Thomas tried to push himself to his feet, and had immediately gasped, falling backwards and having to be caught by Fareeha.

"Here, one around me shoulder." Fareeha helped him limp to one APC and set him down in the seat. Climbing out she looked at the large gashes and digits in the metal. The bumpers that the monster had been standing in had two large divots in it, and it's blood covered the remaining door. Fareeha ran her fingers along one hole that was stained with blood. It was still hot, and sticky. Returning to the vehicle Fareeha grabbed a first aid kit and began cleaning the blood off of Thomas, who's entire face and shirt was covered in the sticky fluid. Three concussions, one broken arm, and the man who had stabbed the monster had a broken jaw and a concussion, bringing the number of concussions to four.

Gabriel met with Ana and Angela as privately as they could. The problem, seven major injuries, and a goal that they had yet to reach the first step of. They absolutely needed this information. It has been used as a relay station so many times, recording each one. Years of Talon communications would be in there. Enough to identify an unknown amount of Talon bases, associates, leaders, and enough logistical data that they could rip apart Talon at its core. And In about ten days all of it would be buried under several meters of snow. Ultimately, they agreed to go forward, to Chandalar, less than fifty miles away. Loading up the injured and leaving the battleground they made for Chandalar outposts.

Later.

They made it to Chandalar undisturbed. The base was quick to take in the party, and began repairing the vehicles as well as they could. Injured were taken and the healthy were given food and rest. Chandalar itself was nothing to write home about. A small community of about a hundred civilians and thirty professional soldiers were its inhabitants. Based at the top of a hill with thirty foot walls it boasted only nine buildings, each one about two stories tall. A cafeteria, barracks, hospital, two buildings for businesses, a bank and the rest were either housing or maintenance buildings. Everything was snow white or industrial grey. Most people moved with purpose, but few had particularly satisfied looks. The APCs were under repair. Gabriel took a look at the claws marks and shook his head, partially disbelieving. Claw marks drilled through steel along the back of the vehicle, and huge dented impacts points were the animal had beat the APC. The wounded were all taken to the hospital, and Gabriel went over what they still had. Out of twenty seven people, two were dead, seven had left with the APC and now a total of another even were injured, most of which critically so. After about an hour of speaking with the 'mayor', a potbellied black man with a thick French Canadian accent, it was decided. The critically wounded would be left in Chandalar, to heal and be sent back to Anchorage with a large armed escort. Everyone else would pile into the APC's and continue driving.

Same time.

Whoever invented drugs, Thomas made a note to thank them profusely. His ankle wasn't that bad. It wasn't broken, thankfully, but it still hurt like hell to put weight on it. Now Thomas was laying down in the 'guest house.' It was actually kinda nice. It was cold, of course, but Thomas had a big fluffy blanket, and some supposedly low dose painkiller to help his throbbing ankle. Whatever it was it worked well, he couldn't feel a thing. At all. It was disconcerting, but Thomas fell asleep almost as soon as Fareeha mostly helped him limp to the room and into the bed. The building they were staying in was big, big enough there only needed to be two people per room. Each room had an individual bed for each of the two people though. And he had this room to himself.

Later.

Thomas came to slowly, and felt incredibly warm all over. He had a thick and fuzzy blanket over him, and smiled, mumbling quietly into the pillow. Thomas heard Jesse grumble quietly and shift. Then Thomas heard the wind blow, and sat bolt upright. Next to him was Gabriel. He had one eye open, staring at a shocked looking Thomas. Thomas's cheeks were a bright pink and he looked, not quite like Gabriel thought he would. Gabriel smirked and closed his eye.

"Lay back down kid. Nothing happened." It's true. Thomas's pants were untouched and his undershirt was still there. Gabriel had done nothing. Gabriel was also fully clothed, though Thomas could still see his very muscly body. Thomas mentally slapped himself for assuming things. Why would Gabriel even want him? That was the stupid crush. Thomas was suddenly incredibly grateful that he didn't have his usual morning wood.

"Ankle better?" Thomas snapped out if his thoughts and moved his ankle. No pain. None. Reaching over Thomas gently touched the very bruised skin, but felt only the pain from the bruise.

"It's fine." There was amazement in his voice. Thomas always healed fast, if somewhat messily. The slew of scars all along his body proved that. But aside from an unsightly bruise his ankle was fine. "No pain at all." Gabriel nodded and opened an eye again.

"Good. Angela knows her stuff." Thomas nodded awkwardly. 

"Yeah, she, Angela is very smart." Thomas felt weird. Like he shouldn't look at Gabriel. He kinda wanted to though. The older man had on a nicely fitting shirt that hugged his muscles well.

"How did I, did I... what happened? How did you get... in my bed?" A bit of relief slipped into Thomas's system as he realized he hadn't crawled into Gabe's bed.

"It's my fault. I came in the room and you were out cold. Some time through the night I, I heard you crying in your sleep. You were mumbling and turning-almost thrashing. I touched your shoulder to wake you up, and you stopped as soon as I touched you. When I stopped you immediately started thrashing again. Didn't feel right to just leave you." It hadn't been Gabriel's objective to end up sleeping next Thomas, he had sat on the bed next to Thomas, rubbing the younger man's shoulder and comforting him. Thomas had been covered in sweat, and woke up once, but he didn't seem to remember waking up. His eyes were wide and his pupils blown up to almost blot out the gentle Hazel of his eyes. He'd looked up at Gabe and visibly relaxed, letting his head fall backwards. He'd sighed loudly, and passed out again. Gabriel had laid down next to the younger man, and fallen asleep almost immediately.

"Elizabeth is your sister, right?" The reaction was instant. Thomas looked directly at Gabriel and scooted forward, too many emotions to identify surfacing in his features. 

"I was talking about Elizabeth?! What was I saying?!?" Thomas got closer to Gabriel, hope gleaming in his eyes. Gabriel felt a string of pity play itself in his heart. He'd had that same look before, the look that you hope someone you care about is okay.

"You kept saying 'I promise. I promise. I promise." Thomas nodded and Gabriel saw the intense hope die suddenly, vanishing from his features as he leaned back onto the bed, away from Gabriel. His entire face darkened. It hurt Gabriel to see the young man like this. He'd been quieter and less outgoing since coming here. At base he enjoyed telling jokes, and even telling funny stories when promoted by Olivia. But not for the first time on this mission Gabriel saw intense pain in Thomas's features.

"What did you promise?" Gabriel asked cautiously. Thomas let his breathe leave his mouth. He didn't even realize he'd been holding the breathe. A flicker of a memory, biting cold, bloody hands, Thomas talking to Elizabeth, a scream of pain and fury as Elizabeth was impaled by an unseen clawed entity. How she mouthed 'Run' at him. Thomas following her anyway, screaming her name until his voice was hoarse and he felt his dry lips leaking blood from all the cracks and breaks in them.

"That I would protect her." Thomas stood up and coldly grabbed his bag of items, ignoring Gabriel and whatever he was saying. He left Gabriel on the bed as he moved to the small 'bathroom' in the room to change his clothes and get ready for the day. They had to move it today, or the death and pain would be for nothing. When he left the room he found a fully clothed Gabriel blocking the doorway.

"Kid, my dad used to say 'Everyone in the world, has a little voice that says 'You want to save the world. That's why people go to college, join the military, become doctors. But not everyone can save the world. Sometimes they can only save people. Sometimes they can only save one person. Its okay if that one person is you." Gabriel watched as Thomas face changed from doubt to curiosity to anger in a moment.

"You know that's a bad thing to say when I'm trying to keep the people I care about from getting disemboweled by some fucking Indian legend!" Thomas ducked around and beneath Gabriel. "We have a job to do, and it won't get done if we keep talking." And Thomas left the room, bag in tow. Gabriel's face twitched. he wanted to go to Thomas. Whether to snatch him up or hug him Gabriel wasn't entirely certain, but he couldn't quite bring himself to follow. He had a feeling that it wouldn't amount to anything but harsh words though.

Later

Driving sucks. Everyone and the supplies were piled into the two APC's. You would think that because they'd lost a third of the Expedition they could leave a third of the supplies, but that isn't true. So the extra supplies were packed into the APC, squishing everyone. So people who pushed into and had to share seats, which was stupid but if they put the extra boxes on the floor of the APC it could impede movement. So the smaller people got squished awkwardly two in one seat. So Thomas and Olivia were packed into one seat, but unlike Lena and Angela who awkwardly sat apart from each other Thomas and Olivia were good. Fareeha was lucky, she got her own seat. So did Ana. Both Olivia and Lena enjoyed teasing Thomas even more than usual since he was so skinny.

It wasn't Thomas's fault. He ate his fill at most meals. He had grown a lot of muscle since joining Overwatch. In Talon, most of his time was spent asleep, reading, or as drunk as he could get with whatever he could get. In Overwatch though, he had regular sparring sessions with Jack, Gabriel, Jesse, pretty much anyone was happy to spar. Lena had been working with Thomas to get a firmer grip on his powers. She had been born with the ability to skip through short periods of time, but it had always caused horrible headaches and when she became a pilot, her powers, which her superiors were unaware of, mixed with the time skipping jet's and caused her to skip uncontrollably through time. With help from Winston and Torbjorn and a friend of Lena's father's called Dell Lena got a bracelet that helped keep her rooted in time and allowed her to use her powers more effectively than her base ability and kept her from getting migraines and headaches. When she put on her Chronal accelerator it concentrated her powers, letting her blink and skip through time and even rewind time. Over time Lena had learned to use her powers more effectively without relying on her Chronal accelerator, though she still used it to help concentrate her power. Now she was helping Thomas with his own powers, since he could manipulate his own perception of time, but couldn't activate his own powers himself.

Also Zarya still personally trained him. She was fair, if somewhat scary, and she had a knack for helping Thomas cool off when he was super pissed. The results of training almost everyday were nice though. Thomas had put on a lot of muscle in the past months, and Jesse loved teasing him that Thomas's abs were coming in. Thomas had also put on a little bit of fat from eating much more regularly than he did in Talon. His cheeks were no longer so sunken, his ribs weren't as visible as they had been four months ago, and according to Angela he was much closer to a healthy weight group than he had been before. Thomas was still one of the lightest people in his group of friends, but it was because he was a skinny guy who worked out a lot, rather than the fact he couldn't eat before Overwatch.

He still got in trouble occasionally when he would get caught up working with Reinhardt or Torbjorn and he would bump into Angela or Ana or a number of other people. Then they would somehow work in a question about when the last time he ate or slept was. Which was usually followed by Thomas admitting he hadn't done either in a couple of days. Which then led to him either eating or sleeping. One time Ana had invited him for tea and left, saying she needed to do something. Ten minutes later he got a text stating he was locked into her room and would remain so until he had slept for at least eight hours. Pissed, Thomas decided to just play computer games and wait out the time, just because he was pissed and his mind had switched tracks. Except he logged onto the computer and found it password locked with a little message reading 'Thomas Lee Byron, I know you wouldn't disobey me, but I made sure the computer was locked to remove the temptation. You'll also find that while your phone is still usable for emergencies, it can not connect to internet.' A brief check on his phone confirmed that. 'Similarly, all the books on my bookshelf have been replaced with romance novels. The bad kind. If you are so desperate to avoid sleep that you busy yourself by reading them then you will have bested me, because even I could not even start most of them. Finally the tea I made for you is a special concoction. It's a natural sleeping remedy, not as strong as my sleep darts but I have read that it's 'strong enough to knock out a screaming toddler in an hour or less.' I really hope you're not angry with me, but sleep is important to a growing young man. Have a good night sleep. Love Ana.'

Thomas was tempted to sleep right then and there, but anger won out. The windows, locked. The Vents, locked. The books, cheesy. Still upset Thomas lay back on the surprisingly firm but comfortable bed, determined to pretend to be asleep until he heard the locks disable. Then Thomas woke up an unknown amount of hours later to a note in Ana's cursive handwriting. It read 'Dear Thomas. Thank you for finally falling asleep, despite what I am sure were your best efforts to avoid it. Thank you for not drooling on my pillow, as Jesse informed me you do in fact drool occasionally. You'll find I saved you some food from breakfast when you're ready for it, though I do ask you shower in your shower. I hope you slept well. Love Ana.' Thomas could feel the smug on the note, like a musk, but he was kinda grateful. As weird as it was, it was nice having someone fuss over you, someone who cared enough to fight with you for your own good.

Thomas touched the doll, feeling the outline of one of its eyes pressed against the fabric. The doll was tucked safely inside his coat pocket, sealed tightly on the inside of the coat. He wasn't going to lose it.

Later.

"I'm just saying, if more supervillains stored their secret information in places like The Philippines, or maybe the Virgin islands, they'd never be found because no one ever stores secret information in warm or happy places." Said Fareeha. The conversation had been continuing for sometime now, but it kept everyone in good spirits.

"Yeah, but typically the things that make places warm and happy are the lack of supervillains." Countered Gabriel.

"But," Argued Fareeha. " what about places like Spain. It's warm, sunny and evil." That got a few laughs out of people, but it died all too quickly. Soon the conversation hit another lull and the sound of the wind banging on the APC and demanding to be let in drowned out everything. Thomas reached into another of his pockets on the inside of his coat and withdrew a book, one of the ones that Jesse had gotten him.

"Okay, I can't believe that I'm opening this can of worms, but what's the book about?" Asked Olivia.

"It's a Star Wars book. It's about Darth Bane, a Sith Lord. A true Darth. It's pretty good. Jesse got me a big box full of books a little while ago." There was a lot of quiet laughter throughout the APC. "What?"

"Nothing. I guess you do like reading. It's fitting gift." Said Lena. Thomas shrugged.

"I love it. Probably the best gift I've ever gotten." At least it was only people Thomas knew in the APC, because more only partially hushed laughter was heard.

"What was that thing he gave you?" Asked Fareeha. "When we were leaving for the mission?" Thomas smiled and pulled up his left sleeve. The necklace was still there, a simple dark grey string that could withstand a hard yank without breaking and a Marquise Cut shiny Emerald dangling with a dark grey clasp holding it all together. Thomas had never cared much for jewelry. It was expensive, could be used against you. It was easily stolen. He'd stolen a few pieces, pawned them off for quite a bit. They'd helped him eat over the years. But the small stone, about three Karats according to Jesse, had a strange attraction to it. Thomas rubbed his thumb over the jewel, cleaning away a smudge on its surface. Aside from his ring and a copy of his photo, maybe his sketchbooks, Thomas didn't have much that he absolutely had to bring with him if he had to bug out fast.

"That's pretty." Said Lena. "Hold it up next to your eyes." Thomas glanced at her but did so. Lena shook her head.

"Nah. I thought it matched your eyes, but your eyes are a different green." Thomas smiled at brought his sleeve back down, carefully typing the necklace back around his wrist so it wouldn't bite his wrist or cut off circulation.

"You knowww." Said Olivia, nudging him gently with her elbow. "We never heard how the two of you got together." Thomas shook his head.

"Oh hell no. Lets go back to supervillains and beaches." Fareeha smiled.

"I wouldn't mind hearing either." Then Ana chirped in.

"Frankly I was always curious." Thomas rolled his eyes.

"There isn't much to tell. He came to my room we talked a little bit. He was curious how the mission in Tunisia went. We talked a little and he asked me out."

"And you said yes? Wow." Thomas smiled.

"No. I turned him down hard. Didn't even hesitate." Angela winced.

"That's mean."

"Don't worry, he convinced to go. We saw a movie together, and he walked with me back to my room." Lena smiled.

"OOooooohhh did yah kiss?" Said Lena, smiling widely.

"No." Olivia saw the small tell that Thomas had when he lied.

"No no no, you did. You kissed."

"No! WE didn't kiss. When he brought me back to my room I said 'I had a really nice night.' And then I... I may have given him a kiss on the cheek." A chorus of Oooohhs broke out along with laughter. 

"Okay calm down people. How is it that we're in the middle of a desolate wasteland and this is our conversation? You know what Lena, your turn. The Amelie I know likes fun, but she's also a no nonsense person. How the hell did you get with her?" Lena smiled widely, showing off her teeth.

"Oh we hated each other. We kept fighting so much. One day I asked her why she hated me so much, and, to shorten what we said, she didn't like me because I reminded her of her husband." That... made sense. Amelie never talked about her husband, only that he disappeared almost ten years ago. Thomas didn't even know the guys name.

"Yeah. We talked a little. Then a lot. We spent more and more time together, and eventually if someone asked if we were dating, we just stopped saying no." Olivia shook her head.

"Nuh uh. We want the good bits. Thomas had a cute story, give us a cute story!" Lena looked at Olivia.

"What, want me to make something up?"

"No" Fareeha interjected. "But uh, tell us what you did when you talked? Did you eat lunch or just sit down somewhere random?" Lena smiled.

"So at the Swiss HQ, or technically Zurich, there's this place 'Food from around the world' for a restaurant that sits so far away from most of the countries it serves food from, its really."

"That place with the good Chinese food?" Asked Olivia. Lena glanced back at her.

"That doesn't really narrow it down, but it does have good Chinese food. Almost as good as the food we got in the Hong Kong base. Anyway, Amelie and I, we would go there and just talk. Not really about anything, just talk. Sometimes it would be about the weather, sometimes about... more personnel topics. I remember when Ana found out we were dating, she was... less than happy." Ana chuckled quietly.

"I threatened to have Amelie arrested if she went near Lena. I did arrest her once."

"Twice, Ana. You arrested my girlfriend twice." Ana smiled.

"Gibraltar." She said, nodding to herself. "I'd forgotten." Lena looked at Ana and nodded slowly.

"Right. Anyway, it seems like Ana has a bit of a habit of threatening the partners of people she treats like her children. Amelie, Angela, Roger."

"She didn't threaten Jesse." Angela pointed out.

"Yes I did." Said Ana, continuing to smile. "When it was confirmed he and Thomas were dating, I had a calm and reasonable conversation with him." Fareeha nodded.

"Right, and you said what during this calm and reasonable conversations?"

"Mainly that it appears many people have taken a liking to Overwatch's latest unorthodox recruit, and that many people will be angry if he is hurt in ANY way." Thomas laughed with everyone else.

"it's good to know that you're always ready to threaten people for us Ana." Said Lena, laughing. Ana nodded.

"I trust most of them. Well, I trust Jesse and Angela." Two "HEYS!" Sounded from Lena and Olivia.

"What you don't trust Roger?" Asked Olivia.

"He is a very kind man Olivia. But I don't know him well enough to say I trust him." The friendly conversation continued for sometime after that, regularly changing topic before the convoy of two stopped, in the shadow of a massive forty foot tall iron, wood, steel and stone gateway.

"Kid, we got an obstruction." Thomas walked forward, bending over to look at the obstruction. The monstrosity of wood and metals and stone stood proud, with surprisingly few structural instabilities. The tattered remains of a flagpole fluttered, with the Icon of a large circle, a dot in the center, and the initials UAA stitched onto it above the circle. The Flagpole looked one push away from falling over, and the gateway was sealed shut.

"Fuuuuck. We gotta go out there." Nodding Gabriel called it in. Fareeha crawled up and manned the turret, as did a man from the second APC. Several soldiers filed out, various weapons raised as the spotlights went on, illuminating the nearby area. Gabriel, Thomas and Jason all walked up to the structure. It was clearly made by rushed conscripts. The structure had sharpened wooden and metal shafts pointed outwards, some still stained red from use. At the top of the wall there were rusted guardrails, meaning the there has to be a way up the structure. The wall was attached at both sides to the steep mountain pass, and what was once a gate was located at the center of the wall. A brief examination revealed it was so rusted the doors wouldn't open.

"We could try shooting it open." Said Thomas, looking at the layer of rust. Gabriel shook his head.

"Nuh uh. This thing may be stable, but if we start blasting holes in it its gonna fall apart. Besides, the hole we'd blow would be way to small for the APC's."

"Those guardrails up top, that means people should be up there, right?" Thomas nodded. "Right. So if we could get up there I bet we could be on the other side of this door, and get the hinges off."

"I could climb it easily." Offered Thomas.

"No way kid. This thing's so rusted I doubt a tetanus shot would protect from it. Besides, I don't think it can hold our weight."

"I wonder" Said Thomas. He stepped forward and summoned his hammer. "if we could get this thing pealed back." Placing his hammer in a small hole in the wall, he pulled hard. The hole widened slightly, and the metal bent. Not enough to get someone through, but certainly proof of concept.

"Let me try Thomas." Said Jason, smiling. Jason was certainly much stronger than Thomas. They'd sparred before in big group training sessions. Jason had learned that Thomas was nearly impossible to pin down, especially since Thomas was so acrobatic. And Thomas had learned that a series of strategically placed punches and kicks didn't always bring down SEP soldiers. A lesson that Jason, Jack, Gabriel, and several other SEP soldiers had taught him over the last four months.

"Jason." Jason gently pushed Thomas aside, reaching for the hammer claw hammer still stuck in the wall.

"I got this Thomas." He reached for the hammer, and his hand went through it.

"Sorry Jason. Only the worthy get to wield the magic silver claw hammer." He yanked it free. "And thou is not worthy." The hammer dissipated in nothingness. Then Thomas got an idea.

"Sombra. I'll get Sombra." And so he did, and the four of them stood by the gate, listening to Thomas's plan. Jason nodded.

"It's a good idea, but, can any of us even make that throw?" Gabriel smiled warmly.

"Hey, you're looking at the local secondary school quarterback." Olivia shook her head.

"Congrats Reaper, but I think Jason means will my locator survive the fall. This snow" She stomped her foot "is soft for the first inch or so, then it might as well be rock."

"I don't think we need to. Let me see one." Olivia handed Thomas one and he walked to the widened hole in the wall, moving it to try and fit the device through, it fit, barely, and Thomas tossed it away. He pointed at Olivia.

"Okay, you're good to g-" A loud snarl was heard, and a person tried to grab Thomas's arm. He yanked it away before she could do anything, but she banged and sobbed, pressing her face up against the hole. Thomas saw the skin under her face moving, dozens of tiny lines, crawling around. Thomas screamed in a not at all masculine way and pulled his pistol, firing two rounds into her head.

"SKIN SNIPS! SKIN SNIPS!" He pushed himself away from the door using his hands until Gabriel grabbed his shoulders.

"Christ kid."

"Nuh uh. Skin Snips, lets go. We go around the gate."

"That'll take hours kid. And what are Skin Snips?" Thomas pointed at the wall, where the women's face had caught when he shot her. Beneath her skin tiny worm like creature were cutting through the flesh of her cheeks, her eyes, her nose. The small insects were pushing themselves free like some horrible writhing zit and falling on the ground.

"That's disgusting." Said Jason.

"Look boss, last time you didn't listen to me, people died. This time I need you to listen." Gabriel looked down at Thomas and nodded.

"Right.... lets, lets go." He tore his face away from the writhing mass of worm like creature pushing there way through the skin of the women's face. As they turned to walk back to the vehicles, one of them exploded.


	22. The rules of explosions

One of the first rules you learn in the military, besides point the gun that way, drop the pin, throw the exploding ball of fire, and the toilet paper part of an MRE (Meals Ready to Eat.) is interchangeable with the food part, is that explosions are really fucking cool, but only when they occur over twenty feet away from you. Watching the APC suddenly become a ball of fire would have been cool, if Thomas hadn't been breaking the rules by being so close to it. The APC went about six feet into the air, spinning. The agent in the turret was thrown free of the APC. Two agents were inside the APC, and both were burned to a crisp in the explosion. The APC rolled several times before laying in a pile, and several robotic forms emerged the nearby woods. The omnics were twelve in number, each one about twelve feet tall. They began running forward, sprinting towards the group, but they were in poor condition.

The one who shot the APC tried to shift into a vehicle form, but something caught as it tried to morph and it fell in a heap on the ground. A second explosion went off, but one of the omnics exploded instead.

Fareeha didn't hesitate. Turning the turret to face the sudden threat she fired. Omnics fell to the fire, bits and pieces of metal flying backwards. Thomas felt Jason grab him off the ground, tugging him behind a boulder in cover. The five remaining omnics ran forward, boasting a collection of melee weapons. Their joints creaked and one of the omnics arms fell off. But they continued charging rounds firing into the air and an array of large sharpened metal shards being waved. Ana lined a shot off and fired, nailing an omnic in the head. It fell backwards, feet still running in the air as it fell to pieces. Three agents concentrated fire, laser rounds scorching the omnics tattered armor. Its chest plate buckled, and fluid burst out violently. The omnic fell forward, violently moving its arms as motor fluid mixed with the snow. The final omnics fell to concentrated fire from the agents, the last to die falling forward, kicking and twitching feet away from the group.

Guns trained on the woods Lena wasted no time taking three shield projectors, setting them up in seconds to create a twenty foot tall blue shield wall that stretched from one side of the mountain pass to the next. Cover established the agents rushed forward, taking positions with the barrels of their guns sticking out the shield, ready to fire on anything. Thomas ran to one of the now deactivated omnics. He took a loose arm off the omnic, holding it up and knocking off some snow that had already collected on its shoulders plate. On its shoulder plate read the letters and numbers-

GU-7-FD

"You got anything kid?" Called Gabriel as he examined the since extinguished APC and took stock of what had been lost.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." Thomas lifted the severed appendage and tossed it to Gabriel. "Check the shoulder. GU-7-FD. Guardians of the Frontier, unit 7, Frontier Division."

"Guardians of the Frontier? Didn't you say once you worked with them?" Asked Olivia as she pulled charred boxes loose. The group was taking special care to avoid touching the laid out, burned black bones of the two agents caught in the explosion. They were laid in individual blue blankets with the Overwatch insignia.

"Yeah. They're savages. They force villages to give them 'taxes'. Feudalism style. Something like ninety percent of the villages money and food annually. And in exchange they protect the villages. Whenever its convenient at least. That's why I left. The point is, these omnics aren't omnics. At least not the kind that operate in this slice of paradise. They're junkers. Scrap heaps, shoddily crafted pieces of what was once threatening. The Frontiersman deploy them at the borders of their outposts to scare off wildlife and scavengers. They have a ten mile zone, with the outpost at the radius of the circle. I say, we raid the outpost, kill the brutes, steal their vehicles and anything we can use."

"Thomas." Ana said. "We aren't here to start a war." Thomas shook his head.

"Uh Ana, according to current U.N. rules of engagement, and uh, I quote: 'When a peacekeeping force is travelling through designated allied, neutral, or non-contested ground, any form of engagement from a third party onto the peacekeepers, when confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt, makes the third party a designated hostile party, and are to be pursued only to the extent that they are rendered no longer a threat.' And uh, I believe that I have proved that the third party organisation known as the 'Guardians of the Frontier' has purposefully and wrongfully engaged the peacekeeping force dispatched to the area with intent to kill, and has killed two members of our expedition, and destroyed property belonging to the peacekeeping force. That is considered a hostile act, and we are perfectly within our jurisdiction to engage the enemy, in a precise and debilitating manner as defined by the current rules of engagement, as defined by the current delegation in the United Nations." The assembled people looked at Thomas. He smiled.

"What? I read more then Star Wars books. And unfortunately, we won't be able to fit everyone into one APC. So that means, we either load up the APC with the three new injured agents and take as many people back to Chandalar, leaving the rest out here to deal with the Skin Snips and monsters and omnics, almost certainly killing them painfully and definitely losing this information you are so desperate to get."

"Or we raid this outpost." Finished Gabriel, brow furrowing.

"Exactly. The only place even partially suitable for an outpost near here is the ruins of Venetie. It's southeast of here, straight shot along the river." Gabriel and Ana looked at each other.

"Thomas I want you and Jason and to set up supplies that can last. That APC had half our supplies in it, and more concerning we're four men down now. Fareeha take three people and guard the perimeter. Ana, Angela, we need to talk. Everyone else, as you were!" Gabriel, Angela and Ana made there way across the area near a boulder, speaking quietly.

"Gabriel, I do have to question the wisdom of seeking engagement at this interval. With limited munitions and multiple incapacitated personnel, well it doesn't take a genius to think this mission may be over." Said Angela. Ana nodded.

"This information is worth far more than a few lives, and while everyone here understands they may not make it home, no one is okay with dying for an objective we may never even reach. And, we don't know if when we get to this secret base, if we will even be able to transmit the information from the site. If we can't...." Ana shook her head.

"We have a chance to take down Talon. To get a list, one that when mixed with existing data, can and will lead us to the Talon leadership. If we do this we can know where they sleep and for how long." Said Gabriel, careful to keep his voice down.

"Of course. But if we all die trying to get to this information then it is all for naught." Said Ana, glancing at the array of people moving about. She could see it, like a fire above each persons head, they were demoralized. They moved with purpose, but the urgency was in survival, not because they were following orders. Gabriel smiled.

"Then I guess we just shouldn't die!" Said Gabriel, frustration more then evident in his voice and turned to help some agents with moving not scorched supplies into intact containers.

Later.

"Thomas if you keep thumbing the switch to that IED you're gonna give me an anxiety attack." Said Jason, stepping over a small rock formation.

"This IED is gonna save your life."

"What does it even do? And why did you bring that big duffel bag of bombs? Overwatch has perfectly good ordnance at a moments notice." Asked Canan, a tall middle aged skinny Mexican guy from Mexico City with no facial hair to speak of. He also had black hair, green, almost yellow eyes. He was nice enough, but his voice was shaky and almost unpleasant to listen to for long periods of time. He was also dreadfully dull, and rarely had anything interesting to say.

"It's a gas bomb Canan. I toss this, give it however long I set it for to spew gas, it sparks itself, boooooommmmm. Whatever the gas was touching goes up in flames." Lena nodded.

"That sounds cool. And also really bad for confined spaces." Thomas nodded.

"You're not wrong."

"You know Thomas, something has been bugging me since we got here, the signs are in French." Said Jason. Thomas laughed.

"We've been getting chased by monsters, and now we're walking through the snow, making sure the path is clear for the the vehicle and the rest of the group," Thomas gestured to the APC, rolling slowly forward a half dozen meters back, with an agent in the turret and the rest scattered in a tight ring around the the vehicle, everyone staying within ten meters of the APC for safety and the use of the APC's thermal technology to spot anything in the trees." and the signs have been bugging you?"

"It's just, I thought that Quebec was the French part of Canada. The Eastern bit, you know." Thomas nodded.

"Yeah, it is. But after the Omnic war, and before the rest of the world stopped caring about these affected areas the Canadian government tried to get people to move out west, to refill the rebuilt population centers. But then they found out about these monsters, the omnic experiments. Just how damaging prolonged exposure to Omnium radiation is, and they stopped. The French Canadians got a lot of benefits to move out west, or so I heard. And when people move, they bring there culture with them. Some towns only speak French Canadian out here. It's how I learned to speak it." Jason nodded.

"Right... so these monsters are made by omnics?" Asked another soldier.

"Most of 'em. Back when the war was still going on in full force the omnics kidnapped people and experimented on them. Nazi style. That's why so many of these things are humanoid, they were once humans, like you and me. They aren't anymore though. When the omnics get you the first thing they do is put you through a series of tests. Blood samples, fluids of all sorts. Once they have the genetic fingerprint of the person, they move on to testing on them. They flay off strips of skin and run experiments on it, finding out which strands of mutation are the most sustainable. Once they determine that, they inject there victim with the strand, and hold them in a cell until they die, or the mutation takes effect. If it sinks in, they let you go to kill any humans, animals, anything with a pulse you can find." That caused a lull in conversation as everyone let that set in. The unspoken question of just how Thomas new the process floated aimlessly overhead, and Thomas was content to let it pass along.

The omnic war only ended seven years ago. Only of few people in the expedition had fought Omnics in there prime, at the height of the war.

"I remember raiding labs like that. The omnics had people holed up in kennels like dogs." Said Jason.

"Yeah. A lot of people hid information like that. They were afraid that if people knew there would be omnic massacres, and the war would start again."

"Right" Started Canan "But the world just abandoned people to these zones? Like in Argentina? And Alaska? Or Azerbaijan?"

"In there defense I suppose there wasn't much to do. When the world went to shit during the world people took regional power. After the war was over it seemed like no one had the resources to fight every warlord, every despot, to help every poor slave boy stuck in a frozen hell. There were large missions. Excursions. Military platoons, regiments and the like trying to bring order. They stopped trying about three years ago when Carol lost three hundred soldiers by the muskegs a few hundred miles east of here."

"Three hundred soldiers? Damn, you know how that happened?"

"Yeah. She marched them across the Muskeg and ignored my advice to stay away from the Muskeg fields. She marched here soldiers anyway, and lost any organization when soldiers started sinking. All the gear weighed them down. Then the omnics attacked. The shot up at them through what solid ice was on the rivers, and shot from spots in the trees. It was a massacre. Plain and simple. None of the soldiers survived. Most of their bones and gear is probably still at the bottom of those muskegs."

"Right, and how do you know all of this?" Asked Jason.

"I watched it happen. I followed Carol, I thought that if some of the soldiers died I may be able to fish out the bodies. Bring them to base and get first pickings at the loot. Or if any omnics died I may get to go over the scrap first, before the vultures set in."

"That's pretty sick Thomas. Looting the dead, watching them die and doing nothing." Said Canan.

"Yeah well fuck you too buddy. Next time you get a chance to get yourself killed I'll make sure that I let you know that you can die a meaningless death and get forgotten by everyone you ever knew."

"Okay, that's enough Thomas."

"Oh fuck you too Jason. I was fifteen, what was I supposed to do?"

"Woahhh, let's calm down. What's done is done, let's focus on the now, and not dying." Said Lena, trying to defuse the situation before it heated anymore. The resulting silence felt artificial and forced, and soon the sound of wind grasping at the underbrush and the sound of trees swaying was unbearably deafening. It didn't help this was the loudest snow Thomas had ever walked on, and the steady crunch crunch crunch of footsteps felt like he was walking on eggshells.

The group continued walking through the darkness guided by the thankfully present waning moon. Its bulbous glow cast long shadows along the trees, shadows that twitched and quivered as tame winds blew through them. The tall trees would occasionally shutter and pine needles would fall in droves, but they would fall silent just as quickly. Thomas wasn't worried though. If the trees were shaking, whatever was up there wasn't stalking, it was watching. Finally the group made it to a river, one that would lead them straight to the town. The trees went straight up to the frozen shore, and the roots looked like they ran straight into the still liquid water, rushing loudly under the several feet of ice. The group followed the river, spared the harassment of both people and monsters along the way. The group pulled tighter to each other, and when the last vestiges of cloud cover left the area the spotlights went off, concealing there position since the group was drawing closer to the outpost.

Later

"So that's it?"

"Yep. Looks like its grown a lot recently." The 'outpost' was much more like a small town. Four, maybe five meter tall walls surrounded the town, and towers with spotlights and people stuck high above the walls. Banner fluttered with the G. O. T. F. flag fluttering from the tower with a big red X over the flag. Corpses with chunks of flesh dripping off hung from ropes that were wrapped around their necks. The corpses had bits and pieces of armor that belonged to the guardians on them, and many of the skulls were smashed, cracked or bashed in some way. There were no buildings poking out above the walls, but from the elevated position in the tree and through the binoculars Thomas did see bits of the roofs of buildings. From what he saw, the town was in ruins. A lot of fighting had happened recently. Most of the buildings themselves were intact, if intact meant it had at least three walls and a roof.

Bullet holes and blast marks scorched the buildings. Looking through the shot out windows Thomas saw flash marks where large explosives went off and vaporized its victims, leaving the shadows of there bodies on the walls. And that was just what Thomas could see on the few second story buildings on one end of town.

"I bet I can just waltz in there, procure a vehicle, maybe some ammo. Hell maybe some good food if I know anyone." Gabriel shook his head.

"I'm not sending you in there by yourself."

"I didn't say by myself. You me, maybe bring Fareeha." Gabriel nodded, reaching out to take the binoculars that Thomas was handing him.

"And these people are friendly to us because?" Gabriel saw the flag crossed out, but the enemy of my enemy isn't always my friend.

"When I left the Guardians were really pushing towards a system of standardization. And judging from the piecemeal armor those soldiers have on, either the move failed entirely and the Guardians killed the citizens of the outpost when they rebelled against them, or the citizens won and that's why the armor is piecemeal."

"And you're willing to bet our lives on that?" Asked Gabriel. The whole situation was uncomfortable. Like an itch that was just under the skin, constantly irate and unpleasant yet incapable of leaving. On one hand they could go into town and brave the dangers, possibly getting killed in the process, or try and bail out of the entire thing. Plus even if they get a vehicle there was still injured agents in the APC. The farther they went the higher the chance those injured agents don't go home.

"It's either that or the earlier suggestion. I don't suppose Ana managed to get a signal out?" Asked Thomas.

"Maybe. We know the signal went out, but we don't think it got very far, only a few miles. That's not far enough to reach any Overwatch personnel."

"And if we publicly broadcast we may get intercepted by less than friendlies."

"Exactly." The two sat on the tree branches, taking turns looking through the binoculars. After several minutes of scanning Thomas glanced down, and upon confirming that he was out of earshot spoke.

"Hey boss, I'm uh... sorry for what I said this morning."

"You think this is the best time kid?"

"No... but we all may be dead by daylight soooooo..... you know. I'm sorry. More over, I shouldn't yell at you of all people."

"Yeah, yelling at CO's is a good way to get in a lot of trouble. If I was anything other than kind and compassionate then you'd be in troubbllllleeeee." Gabriel sounded lighthearted.

"No, well yes, I mean... damn it. I just mean... thanks for putting up with me. I was a real asshole for... most of the whole time I've known you." Gabriel glanced back at Thomas.

"Are you thanking me?" Gabriel glanced at Thomas, a very amused smirk on his face.

"Alright yes. I'm saying, thank you. Asshole."

"Oh no, too late. You like me. No take backs." Thomas shook his head.

"You're an asshole. So what's the verdict?"

"I'm taking you and Fareeha. We're going into town with Ana and Jason as sniper Overwatch. Six agents in the APC, ready to bust in." Thomas nodded.

"Sounds good. Now lets get out of this tree before some squirrel throws a pine cone at me."

Later.

"Remember you two, follow my lead." Said Gabriel. "Thomas, if you see someone you know, tell me. Do not move to intercept without my go ahead."

"Yes sir. If they ask what we're doing here, be truthful. If they think we're lying they may shoot us just because of that. But if they don't ask, don't tell. They aren't here to listen to our life stories." Gabriel nodded, a focused and intense nod. He looked professional, and if anyone got close to him he would probably be pretty terrifying, if you didn't know him. The gate that the trio were walking up to boasted several dangling corpses, each one with bullet holes in there chests. Three guards, each one armed with what looked like a rifle, peered down at the opposing trio walking towards them. The gate opened outwards slightly, and four soldiers walked out. They had several pieces of armor on, and judging from the way they looked they weren't necessarily in the mood for visitors.

The four walked close, stopping about three meters away. They weren't pointing guns yet though, so they weren't openly hostile. The man at the front of the pack, a six and a half foot tall man that Thomas recognized as Trevor, stepped forward. He spoke in a deep and clear voice.

"Why have you disturbed our peace?" Gabriel stepped forward.

"We apologize, we-"

"I do not know you. I therefore do not respect you. I am speaking, to Thomas. And you would do well to hold your tongue, lest you lose it." Then he turned back to Thomas. "We will not house you or your friends. So if you have come to seek asylum leave now, there will be none." Thomas nodded.

"Of course Trevor, we would not try to begrudge you or your people. We come to trade, and not by our own choice. Guardians junk bots in the woods assaulted my party or soldiers, and we seek food, medicine, and vehicles. We are ready to buy or trade for what we would have." Trevor nodded.

"You will receive no special treatment, but you will not be heckled by the guards. We recognize your previous allegiances, and your choices after which. Do your business and leave. Do not bring trouble, or your bodies will join these on the rafters." And the soldiers turned and escorted Trevor into the settlement. The doors remained open, and shifted outwards slightly, as if beckoning the trio to enter the town. So they did.

The town was even worse off than Thomas thought. At least three buildings had collapsed into themselves. Street barricades were still in place, and small patrols of one and two walked around the town. The whole thing could only have been maybe eight blocks in a near perfect square. The hills that the town was built into made the whole thing seem like it was on a perpetual wave. Walking through the streets was a surprisingly large amount of people. Thomas talked with a woman in the marketplace, seeing what he could dig up and she said, the town had only been liberated for about a month. The villages around the town had people flocking here for protection from the Guardians counter attacks, three of which had already been launched and failed to take the town, but the most recent one had busted down a segment of wall facing the river, and melee fighting had killed a lot of people.

There was almost no food, as most of it had been bought and rationed out so the town didn't starve. Same with medicine, and vehicles. In fact the only things that were still being traded around were toys, porn and prosthetic limbs. The WW1 kind. Walking around the town Thomas heard a honey sweet voice call out his name.

"Thomas!" Fareeha watched Thomas go still, and a look of horror hit him. A strange women sort of jogged at him. She had shoulder length blonde hair, and while she wasn't fat, she was... pudgy. She was attractive though, and she hugged Thomas tightly. Gabriel smiled, because he didn't see Thomas's face. The women stepped back and smiled.

"Oh I can't believe it, look at you! You're taller than me now, oh and you're so handsome." She touched his chin and smiled, but Thomas stepped backwards.

"Yeah, hi Kenia. We're really busy so we're gonna go." Thomas maneuvered himself behind Fareeha as he spoke, almost like he was trying to hide behind Fareeha, who was taller and because she was more muscular wider than him. Kenia laughed and looked at Gabriel, who had lost his smile. Gabriel noticed she had large dimples as she smiled, and while she was very attractive Gabriel saw the same layer of slime on her that he saw when he looked at bureaucrats and politicians. Her Blue eyes were piercing, but not like Jacks. His eyes were gentle and relaxing, even if he was pissed. Hers were more aggressive. Like she wasn't looking at you, like she was looking at what you could do. Trying to see who you were. Gabriel could understand why Thomas didn't like her.

"Oh, you're still so adorably shy. To think all these years later you've come back, and I just happen to be in town trading some weapons to the defenders. You know the mine shut down, too dangerous. Now I move weapons." She said this as she turned to try and face Thomas around Fareeha, but Fareeha moved with her, placing an arm on Thomas shoulder behind her and glaring at Kenia. She didn't know why Thomas was seemingly so afraid of a five foot four pudgy women, but if he was so scared he was hiding behind Fareeha than she wasn't going to let this women get to him. Kenia made an annoyed puffing sounds, a mix between anger and disgust.

"Oh come on. He's an adult, he doesn't need to hide behind you." She said 'you' in such a way that it made Fareeha almost feel a little dirty. The feeling left quickly.

"He's my friend. And if he doesn't like you, I don't like you." Gabriel stepped forward, standing next to Fareeha and letting Thomas stay behind Fareeha. Kenia glared at the two soldiers.

"I'll have you know that that boy is my legal property, and if you don't-" This wasn't the first time that Fareeha had surprised Gabriel. He'd helped to train her, and she had surprised him a lot over the last ten years. Like the first time she threw Gabriel. Or the day when she managed to beat Jacks score with a pistol on the shooting range. This was another day she had surprised him. As soon as this Kenia women said 'my legal property' Fareeha punched her in the nose. Kenia stumbled backwards, grabbing her nose and shouting. No one looked, not even the guards. Kenia then made a huge mistake.

She tried to take a swing at Fareeha.

Who then proceeded to block the punch and return the favor. This time though Kenia fell backwards, hitting the snow covered ground hard. Fareeha stepped forward, wiping blood off her knuckles, but Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Kenia groaned in the snow, and pushed herself up with her elbows before slipping and grabbing her bloody nose, which was crooked.

"We should go." Said Gabriel. Thomas nodded frantically and the three left in a hurry. This time Thomas followed Gabriel as he led the way, with Thomas following and Fareeha bringing up the rear. They made it away from Kenia quickly, and ducked off into a small alleyway a few streets away.

"Okay. No food. No medicine. No vehicles. And there's a crazy lady that thinks she owns Thomas. What's going on with that?" Thomas looked at Fareeha and Gabriel and shifted awkwardly on both feet.

"She... doesn't own me, but I'm... sorta indebted to her and ran away... I'll tell you later. I promise." Fareeha nodded.

"Don't worry Thomas." She slung her arm around his shoulder. "No one is going to own my friend." Thomas smiled up at her and nodded. "And if they say they do, I'll kill 'em."

"Double for me." Said Gabriel. With nothing to buy the trio made there way to the exit of the town. the problem they still faced was a number of injured personnel, not enough vehicle space, and not enough supplies. They would have to talk to the group as a whole and decide what to do. The guards at the door let them leave through the entrance, this time closing it as soon as the three left. The snow was picking up because of course it picks up as soon as the group leaves the safety of the town. Walking to the hill Thomas yawned loudly. He didn't mean to, but the yawn grew uncontrollably as he stretched. Thomas missed sleep. Good sleep, where he knew when he closed his eyes he would open them to the same view. When he finished, he heard a small chirp. A bird. Small from the sounds of it. Then a second chirp, and Thomas froze. They were at the edge of the trees. Too far from both the group and the town to sprint to either.

"Stop." Thomas said, so quietly he worried they couldn't hear him, but both people froze. A third quiet chirp sounded, and a not at all matching footfall accompanied it.

"What?" Asked Fareeha, referring to what's out there. It wasn't Yenaldooshi, their foot falls would be much heavier. This was lighter.

"Torches. On three." The three people grabbed small eight hour light sticks, and activated them. The light they cast pierced only meters in front of them, revealing nothing. Peering into the darkness, Thomas saw nothing. Neither did Fareeha. But Gabriel, saw a small head, holding itself a meter off the ground. The head twitched, twisting curiously at Gabriel like a dog would. It had a human-esk head, with a large smooth dome and no visible eyes, as the dome of flesh and bone covered the space they should be. It stepped forward, revealing a skinny, anorexic body that hunched over the ground. It's hands had three fingers, like the index and middle fingers had fused together, as had the pinky and ring finger. It's arms hung limply, no muscle to be scene. Just bone with a pale skin stretched over it. It's legs however looked like they were bulging with muscle. Like someone had stripped the arms and put it in the legs.

A silver arrow hit the chest of the creature, and it chirped in alarm, trying to get away. Thomas fired a second arrow into the creatures chest, and it stumbled backwards, falling and laying still. The arrow disappeared, but the wounds didn't. The things feet were strange. The heel jutted outwards and downwards, farther than the rest of the foot. The toes were longer, and there were twelve toes, spread equally all around foot, from halfway down on the left to halfway from the right of the foot. Each foot had a claw, and it looked like they could climb quickly and efficiently with them. Thomas drew his gun, but before he could shoot it the seemingly dead creature shot up and darted away.

"Fareeha, get the rockets. These always hunt in packs." Gabriel drew his second shotgun and Fareeha aimed one of her wrist rockets into the snowy fog. There was a sudden cacophony around the group, a chorus of chirps and barks around the group, and Thomas threw his glow stick. It caught something in the snow, suddenly darting around madly. The glow disappeared and reappeared madly, and the sounds of barking were followed by screaming. The group watched the glow stick dart madly, dimming, brightening, dimming, until a shriek of pure animal instinct tore loose. Then the sound of wet, squelching and ripping before a second shriek tore the night apart. Before long the glow stick was deposited at Thomas's feet, with a slew of muscles and sinew attached. Fareeha, who had yet to see the creatures, gasped at the clawed hand.

"What the fuck is that?!"

"Did you ever play Dead Space?"

"Yes. I really don't like that you asked me that."

"Remember the stalkers?" Fareeha shuddered and nodded. The sounds returned, animals jumping in and out of the dim light, snarling and growling. Gabriel fired at them, and Fareeha fired her rockets, and Thomas fired with a rifle he had taken after his had been smashed. If the things were dying it wasn't evident, and Thomas was becoming desperate. They would have to reload, or they would run out of ammo, or the things would all charge and rip the group apart. They hated light and fire. That was certain. They ripped apart there friend to get to the light source and knock it away. Thomas felt his hands grow warm and shuddered. It had been three years. But he'd rather live then keep a secret. Luckily he didn't have to make a choice. A burst of movement, and Fareeha fired a concussion rocket. It missed, but the impact shook the ground and made the group scatter. The sounds of rapid short feet falls fell away, replaced by the natural noise of the forest.

"That worked?" Gabriel asked. Thomas nodded cautiously.

"I think so. I only fought these things once. They... they don't.... maybe there hearing is too sensitive? Or... or." A loud thump sounded nearby, and his face flushed. "Or there's a bigger fish." Said Thomas. He grabbed Fareeha's hand and Gabriel's.

"RUN!" The pull and the shout spurred both into action, causing them to sprint. They ran against the wind, icy snowfall pelting there faces. Loud and heavy breathing, almost like panting, sounds from behind them. Of course Fareeha's stumbles, but Thomas grabs her and without missing a beat yanked her out of the stumbled before she could fall, pushing her forward to make up lost speed. Thomas smiled, happy he managed to do something that no doubt looked cool and saved Fareeha's life. Then he did something way cooler. He started flying.


	23. History

Flying is fucking awesome. Until you start falling. And spinning. Thomas felt something warm on his neck, and a burning pain went through his neck. He couldn't see anything at all, but he felt a tree branch hit him in the gut. He gasped, all the air leaving at once. Sliding off the branch Thomas fell backwards and felt a tree branch strike his back. He forced himself to grab the branch, but it broke and he fell again, this time laying still on the branch. He felt dizzy, and he vomited. The wretched sound was painful to listen to.

Fareeha and Gabriel spun around in time to see the shape of Thomas being shook like a dog. The figure shaking him was easily eleven foot tall and it held him by the back of his Jackets neck before it threw him far. Farther than should be possible. Then the figure roared loudly, and Gabriel felt the heat in his body leave. The sight of all to human like hands with thick claws. The mouth and eyes.

"Polar Bear." Said Gabriel, a slight hint of fear in his voice. Fareeha nodded, and the two soldiers immediately shot it. Compared to the seemingly bullet proof and weapon proof monsters the group had faced before, this one seemed the weakest. Gabriel's shotguns ripped into the beast, and a rocket from Fareeha hit it in the chest. It fell backwards with a mournful roar and lay still. Fareeha smiled, but it fell as she realized they needed to find Thomas. That was the problem. They lacked thermal equipment. And for the first time in a long time, Fareeha began panicking during a mission. She knew that shouting would only draw more unsavory attention, but she also knew that Thomas was going to be hurt. Maybe unconscious. She thought about those monsters, ripping him apart. She was darting around, searching desperately through the snow, trying to find some sign in the dim light of a landing location. Disturbed snow. Broken branches. Something.

Now Fareeha never believed in god. Any god or gods. Her parents hadn't forced her to go to any religious activities she didn't want to, and one day when Fareeha was fourteen she had talked to her mother about if there was some higher power why it would take away her brother and father. Why it would murder a six year old. Ana didn't have the answers. No one did. But here, at this very moment, something divine must have happened. The snowy fog lifted. As in gone. Totally and entirely. The moon was even brighter than it should have been. With the snow gone Fareeha saw Thomas, hung up in a tree four meters off the ground, about five meters away from the corpse of the mutant Polar Bear. Gabriel reached him first, leaping forward and up to grab a branch about seven feet off the ground. He pulled himself up with practiced ease, climbing several more branches to reach Thomas. Thomas dangled on a dangerously broken branch. It looked near to breaking already. Thomas arms and legs dangled freely, and if Thomas was conscious he was certainly in a lot of pain.

It took a lot of work getting him down. Both Gabriel and Fareeha climbing and slowly lowering a semi conscious Thomas, who kept mumbling. They tried to call Ana, but something must be affecting communication because everything was static on all channels By the time they hit the ground, Thomas was muttering like a drunk man. Fareeha decided to carry him, as Gabriel's shotguns were much better for fending off random threats at close to medium range.

After running through the woods for several minutes Thomas began struggling Fareeha's grip, forcing her to slow down.

"Easy Thomas, it's me. We're getting to the others." Thomas was still mostly slack in her grip, but he pointed behind him.

"POLAR BEAR!" He said, pointing a shaking finger behind Fareeha. A glance confirmed that the wall of fur was in fact once again charging at them, bloody torso confirming it was the same creature that had chest had a large hole in its chest.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PLACE!" Shouted Fareeha, picking up speed with Thomas still in her arms. Gabriel took a grenade off his belt and hit a button, setting it to impact. Turning and keeping up his pace while running backwards he threw the grenade. It sailed true, exploding in a ball of fire and shrapnel that all flew into the bear. It yowled and roared but was undeterred in its charge. Spinning around and running to make up lost ground Gabriel couldn't help but mirror Fareeha's statement. As they ran up the hill, trying to get to the spot the rest of the group, a shot rang out. The Polar Bear roared its indignation and continued to charge, except now its head was leaking blood and there was a large scorch mark from a sniper rifle in the front of its head. That laser should have gone through its head. The large burn seemed to enrage the beast further, and it began picking up speed. A second and third shot rang out, each one hitting the same spot and enraging the best further. A blur of blue and Lena tossed a pulse bomb at the beast, disappearing just as quickly. The beast screeched and slid to a stop, grabbing the pulse bomb and yanking it off, taking skin and fur with it before hurling the device away before it exploded.

Ana felt her jaw drop a little as she proceeded to watch the Polar Bear, the monster that Thomas had been scolded and doubted for warning them, ripped away a bomb and hurled it aside, after taking three shots to the head. Aiming again she continued firing, this time aiming at the shoulder and knee joints, hitting each target and forcing the creature to stumble. Fareeha ran past Ana, running back towards the camp and the remaining guards, carrying a semi conscious Thomas.

"Fire." Murmured Thomas, trying to figure out which Fareeha was real. There was blood in his eyes from the cuts and scrapes on his face.

"What? Fire?" Thomas nodded.

"Firebomb in my bag. Use fire." He grabbed Fareeha's jacket, pulling himself closer. "Use the fire!" He spoke through clenched teeth and sagged backwards, sighing quietly. Fareeha made it to the small camp, ignoring a concerned Angela to set Thomas in the APC and grab the bag. Taking it and sprinting she rummaged through it. It was all well organized, and she grabbed a pouch out of it with the fire symbol. Opening the waterproof pouch she saw a number of small canisters and grabbed one. It was cylindrical, no larger than a can of shaving cream. It had labels on it, one two three. Hitting the first button a small green light went off, and Fareeha saw a red light go on. A sort of standby mode, like the level on a grenade. Making it back to where Ana was she saw that the rest of the group was firing on the Polar Bear. Unfortunately, there were three now. Each was a tall wall of fur. The smallest was three meters tall, the largest four. Each one roared and grabbed at people, charging forward to try and catch someone. One bear yanked the limb off a tree and chucked it at Gabriel, who rolled to dodge.

Hitting the red button Fareeha threw the bomb, and saw the red button turn green midair. After about five seconds of it going through the air nothing happened, and Fareeha felt a crushing feeling that it may not work. The bomb colliding on the tree next to a Polar Bear, and a clear liquid squirted in all directions. A small spark went off, and everything the liquid touched suddenly went up in flames. Including the Polar Bear. Most animals yelp in pain if they get burned, but not these. The monsters reared on its legs and roared, bellowed loudly and charged the nearest person. Jason jumped and the bear hit a tree in a head on collision. It slumped down as the fire engulfed it, and the smell of burning flesh perforated the air, a great stench that clogged everyone's nose. The other two creatures, further enraged by the death of one pack member, shrieked in an ungodly pitch, forcing several people to cover there ears as a reflex.

The two remaining creatures singled out Fareeha, charging her while her ears were covered and eyes shut. Gabriel, seeing the action, sprinted fast at Fareeha.

"Move kid!" He barked, and tackled her out of the way. The bears, too close to drastically change direction, ran past harmlessly, stopping there charge several meters away before turning. Fareeha swung the bag forward, reaching in to grab another firebomb, but the fire pouch wasn't there. Looking at the spot where she was Fareeha saw the bag was open on the ground, clear liquid puddling into the snow from the stepped on contents of the bag.

"Fuck, that's bag with that upgraded Molotov in it isn't it." Fareeha nodded, and Gabriel got an idea. "YOU FOUR! DISTRACT THE RIGHT BEAR! ANA, JASON, WITH ME!" With a nod the two teams of four spilt off, each one taking a bear with them.

"WE NEED TO LURE IT OVER THAT BAG!" Shouted Gabriel, and Jason got the idea.

"Yes sir!" Running forward Jason fired three times at the bear, and got its attention. The creature charged forward, but Ana fired twice, goading it in a different direction before it could fully commit to the charge. Turning to face the newest assailant the beast ran several meters, until more gunfire goaded it in a different way. After repeating the tactic for several more minutes the bear ran over the oil covered snow, roaring its anger at the plethora of gnats swatting at him. Then Gabriel fired his shotgun, not at the bear, hitting the very flammable liquid. It lit up like a match, immediately reaching out to grab the paws of the bear. It shrieked in agony, rearing up on its hind legs but slipping and falling backwards into the fire. The tendrils of fire reached like a hand to claim its prey, and it roared, kicking and bellowing as the four backed away, a sense of horror and guilt at killing the creature so brutally purveying them. There was still one bear left to fight, and they were out of fire.

The four agents had taken to a different strategy though. They were trying to bait the creature into ramming some of the thicker trees, hopefully knocking or concussing the animal. The plan had not gone well. While not nearly as mobile while charging the bear wasn't stupid. It never ran full force into a tree, but it had caught one agent as she tried to dive out of the way. It grabbed her leg by the ankle, tanking her backwards and sinking its teeth into her side, breaking ribs with its bite pressure. The other agents fired desperately, but the animal reared backwards, woman still in its mouth, and began to death shake her. She screamed out, but went limp in the bears gaze, finally being thrown a meter away. The bear reached out and dragged the dead woman towards him, roaring loudly. It sniffed, but food was no longer the priority. It shrieked, and charged, abandoning its kill to try and kill the rest of the agents, all to human fury in its eyes.

With the combined firepower of seven well armed professional soldiers the group succeeded in pissing the animal off and making it charge again and again. Any time Fareeha shot it with a rocket it would rear backwards, but its destroyed flesh would seemingly regenerate instantly, flesh and muscle reconnecting before the groups eyes. No matter how many bullets, grenades, rockets were fired at it the group couldn't keep the fucking thing dead. As he fired his shotguns again Gabriel couldn't help but wonder if this is how things would end, fighting an undead mutant Polar Bear.

But luckily that fate was not to be his. As the group fired the loud rumble of a jeep was heard. Several jeeps. The headlights pierced the night, and the jeeps skirted to a stop near the Polar Bear, a cacophony of explosives and Molotovs and fireballs being hurled at the beast. It shrieked and fell backwards, kicking in the air as the fire continued. When it stopped kicking, its burning corpse joining its comrades. The jeeps doors were kicked open, and a number of people stepped out, guns raised not at the group but at the corpse.

"If it twitches, shoot it. That's an order." Gabriel recognized the five a clock shadow, rounded face of Trevor. The man walked forward, pulse rifle in hand. He walked to Gabriel.

"This is why you run you fool. Where is Thomas? Surely he would no better than to try and kill a Polar Bear." Trevor glanced with hawk like eyes at the two burning corpses, and nodded. "Though I suspect that he may be responsible for your current successes."

"Thomas is with the main camp." Said Gabriel through his gritted teeth. It wasn't that he didn't like Trevor. He didn't like him, but the man seemed dishonest. The kind of person to shake your hand and then stab you as you leave the room. Jack could always deal with these peoples.

"Right. I assume that means he's been injured. Your group will come with us for as long as you wish." Gabriel spoke back as Trevor turned around.

"I thought you said you wouldn't house us?" Trevor sighed, seemingly frustrated. With a dramatic heel turn he spoke.

"That was until you started shooting up the night. I need my guards alert for intrusion, and I can't have that if you're out here dying. Now either come inside, or-" Trevor gestured with his hands and his soldiers aimed at the group. The agents aimed back, but the simple truth was they were outnumbered. Ana and Gabriel were quick to lower the groups weapons, and except his offer.

Later.

"It's just some scratches Angela. Aren't there other people you can fuss over?" Complained Thomas. Angela was cleaning the scratches he had suffered from falling through a tree, and bandaged his neck where he had been grabbed. By luck or some external design Thomas's hoodie had been caught, and the tooth had only scratched his neck. Angela was insistent on treating the wound, especially the bite, so they didn't get infected. It just stung a lot.

"Quiet. I'm going to keep cleaning these wounds and if you don't stop fidgeting I'm going to handcuff you to the seat!" Thomas smiled.

"Why Angela, I never would have taken you as the handcuff kind of person. I imagined you would want something softer." Angela glared at Thomas, not entirely appreciating the bondage joke. And that was present when she was a tad less gentle in cleaning the next slash on Thomas's cheek. He jumped in his seat, stinging liquid slipping into the broken folds of his skin. Despite complaining over medical care as a reflex, there was nobody in the world that Thomas would want making sure he stayed healthy and in one piece than Angela. Not that the Talon doctors ever cared if he was comfortable during their experiments, but usually by now Thomas would have attempted to kill someone.

Forcing himself to escape his memories Thomas thought about Jesse. And fuck it was a bad idea. It was stupid how quickly Thomas had managed to fall for him. When Thomas first met him he had been... surprised... that Jesse had brought him food and helped patch him up more. He was also infuriating in the way he seemed to know what Thomas was thinking, often predicting where he would be. Of course later Thomas found out it was because Jesse had been in the same situation several years ago. Then for whatever reason Jesse had convinced Thomas to go on a date. Something that he had actually never really thought off. Of course he'd thought about that special someone. What they would look like. What they would act like. Its funny how stupid people get when entertaining fantasies. How people think about what that special person looks like, not how they act like.

Over the last four months Jesse had grown on Thomas. A lot. Thomas isn't ashamed to admit that he is definitely more lenient with Jesse then pretty much everyone else. More than once Thomas would see Jesse come back from a rough mission, and would slip into the kitchen that almost no one seemed to use for themselves and would make some sort of baked something. The trick was getting them to Jesse's room without being intercepted. The first time Thomas tried he been waylaid several times by over a dozen of his friends, including Jack, Gabriel and Ana. Ana found him twice and took some each time, smirking at Thomas each time. By the time he got to Jesse's room there were two brownies left. Out of almost three dozen individual brownies. And Thomas had been upset. He stood outside of Jesse room for a minute, considering if he should even knock and present the pitiful collection of brownies. The choice was made for him when Jesse opened the door, curious what he was smelling. Surprised and kind of embarrassed Thomas had stood completely still, mouth slightly open before thrusting the tray into his hands and disappearing down the hall. This was before he technically told everyone the two were dating, but at a point where everyone could tell. Later when he went to his room for the night he found a little sticky note with 'Thanks' in Jesse's handwriting. And a... heart... where the period should be. Thomas still has it in one of his sketch books.

After that pretty much everyone that knew him learned that if Thomas baked it it would be amazing. One time one of Fareeha's friends, a woman named Susan, found Thomas and all but begged him to make some cinnamon apple pie for her child birthday. It was nice feeling though. Making the pie and giving it to her, not her begging. And anytime he baked anything Olivia always found out, and was always ready to be a quality control tester. And she was tough to please. If it wasn't good, if his pie crust were made poorly, or some ingredients improperly mixed, she could tell and called him on it.

Fuck Thomas shouldn't be thinking about this. His chest felt heavy now. The more he thought about his new life in Overwatch the more he realized he was stuck in it. And... that that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The more he thought about when Thomas was in a bad mood, how Jesse always found him, always talked to him while Thomas ran on a treadmill or did something to calm down. How by the time Jesse was done talking Thomas was... better. How the two would sometimes hold hands as they fell asleep, because Thomas had an unjustified fear that he would wake up in some other place.

Thomas didn't even realize he was touching his wrist until he heard Angela speak.

"Missing Jesse?" She asked, a kind and comforting tone.

"Stop reading my mind. But yes. I know I should be worried about other things right now, but I miss him. A lot." Angela nodded.

"I get it. Thank you for volunteering for this mission. Without you here I wonder how many more causalities we'd have." Thomas nodded, not wanting to think about it.

"I want to go back. I know its stupid and childish and there's nothing to be done, but I don't want be here anymore."

"I understand. During the omnic wars I remember thinking those exact thought." Thomas blinked.

"Wait, you were in the omnics wars? But... if Fareeha's twenty three, and you're twenty eight... wait... when did the omnic war technically end?" Angela glanced back at Thomas from her bag of medical supplies.

"It ended about... eleven years ago." Thomas shook his head.

"Yeah. that feels like something i should know. But uh, news doesn't exactly get around much out here." With a final click the medical bag sealed shut, excess air being pumped away as and the seal activating.

"Thomas, where are your parents out here? I've been reluctant to ask." Thomas glanced around the room. There were four beds pressed as far apart as they could go, and Angela had taken this one as a sort of private medical bay. She didn't trust the people here at all. Unlike Chandalar or Anchorage this place seemed like a cesspool.

"They're dead. Probably. Good riddance to." Angela wasn't necessarily surprised to hear it.

"How long ago did they die?"

"About six years ago. They were probably killed by monsters. They traded them you know. Monsters. Trained and sold them. One day they got loose. By that point Arthur had left to join the military and there rebuilding efforts, and... Elizabeth had been dead about a year by then." Angela had taken a seat on one of the other beds.

"And where does Kenia factor into this?" Thomas glanced at her.

"I don't want to talk about her." Angela knew that Thomas had moments. Whenever they would talk in a sort of impromptu therapy session Thomas would often lock up on various topics. Sometimes if Angela put the right amount of force and kind words on, he would open up and talk. Sometimes about his time in Talon, sometimes about people he knew. Very rarely Thomas had spoken about the times when he was homeless, after he left the Fallout Zone but before being taken into Talon. According to him it was about eight months of time, from when he was fifteen to sixteen.

Other times though Angela would have to know better than to push a topic, not wanting to risk Thomas locking up on something. And he would lock up. He would be speaking clearly, and just trail off into nowhere, sometimes mumbling as if he was talking to himself, sometimes just going silent. He would be looking at the floor, and would just reset. Not speaking, not communicating. Usually it would be up to Angela to grab a nearby blanket and sit next to him, talking quietly about various parts of her day or random topics. Eventually he would snap out of it, and would look up at her, then say-

'I did it again didn't I?" Angela would nod and comfort him as his friend. And they were friends. Fareeha's treating both Thomas and Olivia as younger siblings, and with the severe health drawbacks of both youths they tended to get along with Angela. Angela was the only doctor Thomas really trusted, though he tolerated others. And Olivia absolutely refused any medication, diet advice or anything without at least running it past Angela for fact checking. It got frustrating at times, but it was also sweet that they trusted Angela. Both were trained killers, but they were also still teenagers, and acted accordingly. The two of them, as well as Junkrat and Hana, would get in trouble for various stupid things. Mainly just annoying Jack or Gabriel or Torbjorn. They made a surprising team.

Hana had impeccable timing and could predict events like she was psychic, Olivia could manipulate technology thanks to the fact she was a mutant like Thomas, except she had amazing control over electronics. Thomas could build amazing contraptions out of junk, like little rubber band, paper clip and stapler parts helicopters that dropped special types of non lethal, usually non painful pranks designed by Junkrat. It made Angela smile the time the Reinhardt had caught the four of them after dropping a mustard balloon into Torbjorn's beard, and Reinhardt had scooped the four of them up, individually scolding them.

"I understand." Thomas got an idea.

"So Angela, what about you're family? I didn't want to ask before, but in the spirit of sharing." Thomas smiled. Angela looked away.

"My father is in Switzerland. He owns a tiling shop. My mother didn't make it through the wars." Thomas let the conversation lull as the two thought back to painful memories of loved ones. Several minutes passed before Thomas spoke.

"Fuck this is depressing. So um.... I assume I check out? Clean bill of health." Angela smiled and stood up.

"Oh absolutely not. I want to scan and examine all of us for so many different diseases and parasites that It'll take at least a day per person. But for now I've done all I can." Thomas touched the various small bandages on his face, small tan band aids that would keep the wounds clean. Jesse is going to freak out when he finds out Thomas got hurt, even if it was just some scratches. Getting off the creaking bed, which was basically a mattress with a few bullet holes on a scrap metal frame Thomas made his way out of the room to the base of the building. He could feel the tense coils in his body tightening, and he either needed a drink of something he would regret, or he needed to smoke.

Later

"So we got a building to ourselves I guess. Or at least what's left of one." Thomas nodded, taking away the cigarette and sighing quietly. Olivia, Jason and Fareeha were all standing with him just outside the building, not wanting to venture far from relative safety. Fareeha didn't smoke, and Olivia was slowly swiping the rest of the cigarette's Thomas brought. Jason had brought some, the kind of cigarettes they smoked in the early nineteen hundreds. All tar and Nicotine and completely deadly. They even smelled horrible. Not that Thomas's were particularly better, but at least the smoke wasn't jet black when he exhaled like Jason's.

"Yeah. Gabriel made a deal. The wounded stay here, and we leave five soldiers to guard them and help protect the town while we are finishing the mission."

"So who's staying exactly?"

"We got the four of us. Ana, Gabriel, Lena, Angela. We got Canan, Gearmis, uh.... Morgan. Maybe not Morgan. I'm not sure. The rest stay here." With a final nod the four fell into a silence as comfortable as it could be. Eventually Thomas let the cigarette he had burn out, and when it fell to the ground he watched the filter disintegrate in the wind.

"Well that was dissatisfying." Olivia grinned.

"What's the matter Conejito? Ana getting to you?" She teased, trademark smug face smirk plastered on.

"Yeah.... I guess. I'm gonna head inside and try to sleep." The four exchanged quiet goodbyes and Thomas left them, climbing up the stairs and going to the room he'd been assigned. He chose the bed closest to the window. They were on the second story, so if worse came to worse Thomas could throw himself out the window and probably live. If he landed on his feet he would be fine, but landing any other way was... iffy. A brief scan of the room confirmed that Thomas was in fact alone, and he quickly stripped out of his jacket and his pants and his shirt. The air was freezing cold, piercing the weak walls of the dilapidated building and reaching for Thomas. He grabbed a spare set of clothes, cursing himself for not getting his clothes first, and slipped into pants and a fresh shirt. Both were foul smelling but at least they had an appropriate amount of blood on them. Plus he'd had on the same clothes for at least two days now. As he slipped on a second shirt to try and bundle up for the biting cold night he heard a small creak. 

Just a shift. The floorboards settling. Summon opened a door. But Thomas nerves were spiking. He turned quickly, summoning a hammer before he felt at least two bodies crash into his. A wet rag of something was pressed to his mouth, and Thomas immediately smelled chloroform. A wave of the purest, gut instinct terror filled him, and he lost it. Lacking the knife he usually kept hidden he lashed out with his leg, connecting with one persons knee and knocking them off balance. As they put there knee back on the ground Thomas twisted his lower body so his foot could slip past the leg of one assailant and pressed into there ribs. Pushing with all his force Thomas cursed being so skinny, and pushed with all the raw gut instinct and every scrap of power he could muster together. It was enough to push the person off, and with the grip on his wrist loosened Thomas slipped the grip.

Summoning the hammer again Thomas slammed it into the head of the other assailant. Rag gone from his mouth Thomas bucked his head free and gasped, taking in air after holding his breath.

"GABRIEL!" He shouted, screaming the first name he could into the air as he tried to push away. A third body fell on his, weight trapping him in an awkward position on the ground, and a fresh rag of chloroform hit him. A this hit hard. His breath was knocked free, and as he gasped for fresh air, taking in a polluted cloud of chloroform instead. He recognized Kenia's eyes, and fresh panic hit as well as terror. Headbutting her as hard as he could Thomas squirmed free of her grasp. He pushed away on the ground, scooting into the corner away from the three people. Seeing his way out Thomas got to his feet, pushing off the ground as hard as he could to jump onto the bed. From there he jumped onto a chair, and pushed from that over the three people still getting up off the floor and Thomas crashed through the door. The impact hurt. A lot. But the door fell and Thomas scrambled up, immediately met with Gabriel, Ana and Lena. One person, a woman Thomas didn't know, burst into the hall light, and was immediately snatched up by the throat by Gabriel. Lena, still wearing her chest accelerator that let her use her powers, blinked into the room. With a kick and two punches she and Ana dragged the two other people, an unknown man and Kenia.

Gabriel threw the woman on the ground, grabbing her wrist tightly and yanking it up. Gabriel's voice was tense his jaw set. The burning hatred in his eyes peered through the women, making her shy and struggled to try and free herself.

"You have three seconds to answer me. Why are you here?" The woman blustered and blubbered, trying to beg for freedom. With a flash of movement he snapped her wrist, breaking it and causing the bone to jut out. She shrieked and her dropped her on the ground, letting Ana hold her back as she cried. He grabbed Kenia.

"How about you? You think you own my friend?" A defiant fire was visible in her eyes, and Gabriel snuffed it by hoisting her up by the collar of her shirt and punching her in her clearly broken nose. He hoisted her up again, cocking back his fist and holding the women off the ground when a hand went on his elbow. Gabriel's head spun so fast that Thomas thought he heard it crack, and the fury in his eyes looked like Gabriel was considering punching the man who interrupted. The man that grabbed his arm was tall, marginally shorter than Gabriel at Six foot two inches, and was also smaller muscle wise. But he stared Gabriel in the eye fearlessly. 

"Sir, we can take these people in." Gabriel broke the grip easily, still holding Kenia by the collar. "Sir she has broken a lot of our rules. Despite the relationship she has with out settlement she has broken our rules drastically. She will be imprisoned, she will be judged and given a sentence. Though if you continue defending yourself, there may be... negative repercussions." Gabriel glared at the man but released Kenia, letting her fall to the ground with a loud whimper. Behind the man Gabriel had talked to five soldiers advanced, taking the injured would be kidnappers away with them. Gabriel snarled at Kenia as she passed, making her jump away and whimper. As the group left Ana heard a whisper. "Relapsing to the old times? Abusing kids. For labor? For sex? You're lucky we don't kill you outright." When they were gone Thomas let out a long sigh. He'd been staying behind Ana, and she'd noticed him cowering behind her like a frightened child. Thomas stepped out from behind her, and smiled.

"Thanks-" Thomas was cut off by a hug from Gabriel of all people. He held Thomas tightly, having to bend over slightly to do so.

"Fuck kid you scared me. We just heard you scream bloody murder." Thomas felt a blush form, but shuddered. Fuck... he'd almost been kidnapped. By Kenia. It hit him hard, that they had chloroform and were waiting for him. His breathe caught, and Gabriel hugged him tighter, sensing the lock up as it happened.

"Holy fuck I was almost kidnapped." Thomas said out loud this time. "They had chloroform and everything." Now Thomas hugged Gabriel back.

"We got you kid. You're one of us, we won't let anything happen to you." Gabriel held Thomas a moment longer before breaking off the hug. It was decided that Thomas would sleep in the same room as Ana, Lena and Gabriel. An extra security measure. And that one person at a time from each room would stay up to keep guard. Ana volunteered to go first, then it would be Lena, then Gabriel, then Thomas. Despite being totally exhausted, Thomas lay back in the bed, drawing his blanket up to his chest and closed his eyes, laying perfectly still and letting his breath even out. Usually this let him fall asleep quickly, with the feeling leaving his body and then him falling asleep quickly. This time every time the feeling threatened to leave his body a new surge of adrenaline was distributed. It forced Thomas to roll over or turn or move in some way, until he heard Ana speak.

"Can't sleep?" Ana asked, voice barely a whisper. If Thomas had been any more tired he would not have heard it at all. Thomas opened an eye and saw Ana sitting in her chair, in the dark, from the looks of it cleaning her rifle. For a moment Thomas was confused how she could so quietly and efficiently clean her rifle in the near pitch black. Then Thomas remembered her bionic eye, that could see in the dark if she felt so inclined. Thomas shook his head and sat up, the bed creaking thankfully more muffled then the earlier. He felt awful. He hadn't slept well once since he got to Anchorage. Nightmares plagued him from the moment his eyes slipped closed to the moment they opened, and sometimes after they opened. He saw visions of monsters. Of things that did and didn't exist. Usually his nights consisted of two, maybe three hours of fitful sleep before waking up. He'd yet to tell anyone, but he worried it was becoming obvious. And that lack of sleep would make him sloppy. 

"Nope." Responded Thomas, equally quiet. "Can't fall asleep." Ana nodded, but Thomas couldn't see it.

"I understand. This place wears on you. Come here Thomas. We can talk if you'd like." Happy for something to do other than be uncomfortable Thomas slipped out of the bed as quietly as he could, and moved over to the chair next to Ana, bringing his blanket with him to stay warm. As warm as he could. He sat back in the old busted chair, which was marginally more comfortable than the mattress. Wrapping the blanket around himself as best he could Thomas went almost limp in the chair. Ana laughed lightly, amused for no particular reason.

"Comfy?"

"Sort of. There's a spring poking my back." Ana smiled and continued cleaning the barrel of her gun. She'd used pulse ammunition earlier, and it could burn the barrel over time if she didn't clean it. Thomas closed his eyes and hoped the new position would let him sleep. The broken window let wind blow through easily, and with it there was a loud howl. Thomas went stiff, and Ana paused, hand lingering over her sidearm. Gunshots rang out in the night, causing the quiet breathing coming from both Gabriel and Lena to cease as the both awoke. Another, different howl rang out, as well as more gunshots. Thomas relaxed in the chair again, recognizing the sound. Seeing this, Gabriel asked him-

"You know what those are?"

"Yeah. Snargles." Lena sighed and rolled over, facing the window and bringing the blanket closer to her head.

"I'm gonna regret this, but what's a Snargle?"

"Imagine a rat. The size of a Grizzly bear. With beaver teeth the size of my hand, a taste for human and a three meters long tail that they use to restrain prey before eating them. Oh oh oh, and thermal vision. And they can climb sheer heights. And uhhhh they can walk upside down on the ceiling." Lena sighed quietly again into her pillow.

"I hate this place so much. How did you even grow up here by yourself? If I was here by myself when I was fourteen I would have died. Hell if I went now by myself I probably still would."

"Oh and Snargles like to travel in the underground. They only come up at night."

"It's always night here kid. There's five hours of sunlight a day."

"And that's why they're scary. Be happy we don't hit Troll country. You think the monsters are bad here, oh ho ho Troll country is where they breed. Where they grow. The ones down here, they're the rejects. The runts. Troll country has the big ones. The freaky ones." Lena made a frustrated sound that Thomas didn't know what to call and sat up. Another howl went out and Thomas shivered at the loud sound.

"I'm not sleeping anymore tonight." Said Lena, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "Are we safe here?" Gabriel grumbled.

"As long as the walls hold and we're in these rooms we're safe for tonight. Now talk quieter." Grumbled Gabriel, not yet determined to give up sleeps sweet embrace.

"Lena," Began Ana, "If you would be so kind as to tell the other people of Gabriel's inspiring words." Lena smiled and grabbed her Jacket.

"Sure Ana. Back in a flash." And she was out the door, closing it behind her. Ana turned to Thomas.

"While we have the briefest moments of privacy, do you want to tell us about Kenia?" Ana watched Thomas's smile fall. Gabriel pushed himself off the bed.

"Since no one knows how to sleep, I am curious. She does appear, desperate for you." Thomas shot Gabriel a scalding glare, and felt Ana felt her smile fall.

"If its all the same, its personal. And unless its absolutely necessary, I don't want to talk about it." Ana hesitated, but decided on one last prod. If he still holds back she'll stop.

"As she was being taken away, I heard a guard tell say something about a child.. sex ring?" Thomas visibly stiffened at the words.

"Give the girl a prize. You figured it out. Now can we stop talking about it?" There was a stiff anger behind those words, but deeper beneath was a distinct hurt.

"I'm sorry Thomas." Ana touched his wrist, but Thomas pulled away from it.

"You should be." He spat, getting up from the chair and back to the bed. "Next time I tell you I don't want to keep guessing, do everyone a favor and stop guessing." He lay back on the bed and rolled onto his side, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders and laying still. He wasn't asleep, Gabriel and Ana knew he wasn't asleep. But it was the only thing he could do. The only thing he could think of doing that felt right.

Later

Sleep did not come that night. Only the feigned illusion, and temporary loss of feeling in his body. But Thomas stayed very much awake in mind the whole night, visions dancing just in front of his closed eyelids, begging him to open his eyes and view the horrors on the other side. Eventually he felt a hand on his shoulder, and for a moment Thomas squeezed his eyes closed, pure fear shooting into him. But he forced them open, knowing that whatever he thought it was would certainly be worse than what it actually was. It was Ana, so still pretty scary when she wanted to be. He blinked several times, sleep still collecting on his eyes despite evading his mind.

"Morning Thomas. Get dressed, we eat and leave." It was Ana. Thomas nodded sleepily. Where as an hour ago he wanted nothing more than to move about, now his entire body sagged with exhaustion. Yesterdays bruises were taking affect, and they hurt. Trying to sit up Thomas winced, face contorting in pain.

"Hold on. I can help you." Said Ana. She took Thomas's arm, helping him to his feet. He sighed and let his arms dangle limply. Every step hurt, and while putting on his Jacket he winced, hands and arms locking up in pain. Breakfast consisted of MRE's, granola bars and water so cold it hurt Thomas's teeth. At Thomas's recommendation they didn't accept any handouts. To many people in this town would love to kill the group, for no other reason than they want the weapons group had. When it came time to leave a fair amount of soldiers, about a third of the group, would be left behind. About half of them were wounded. Coming with were the special retinue, the best of the best. Thomas, Angela, Ana, Gabriel, Jason, Lena, Fareeha, Olivia and Canan. A total of nine people. Nine of the original over two dozen would be continuing on the final stretch, each one cramped into the one remaining Vehicle.

Later.

Breakfast had done nothing to draw the attention away from the pain in his body, and movement hurt. Settling into the APC Thomas drew his jacket closer around him, and set to work doing his best to stitch his other jacket. The neck of the thing was a mess of fabric, torn freely by a multitude of slashes where the Polar Bears teeth had caught firm. The rips on the jacket extended down the back and front. Truthfully it was a lost cause. And probably a waste of resources. But it beat doing nothing. So he sewed the fabric together, mismatching thread color closing the wounds. It wasn't until he tied a stitch again that the whole collection came undone in a mass of stringy fabric that Thomas sighed.

"Tell you what, I think its a lost cause." Said Jason. Thomas nodded and set it aside, wrapping it firmly in a bundle and tucking it away. As a blanket it would work, and the lower half was still some protection from the wind and elements, better than naked skin or nothing. Thomas reached into his coat pocket, feeling for his book and feeling nothing. He patted jacket in several places, searching about before checking his ruined coat, but it was expectantly empty.

"Its gone." He said to himself, weight pressing upon his shoulders like an invisible stone.

"What is?" Asked Lena, breaking off her conversation with Fareeha.

"My, my book. The one Jesse gave me. It must have fallen out when I got tossed." It was silent for a moment. It was just a book. One of thousands of copies. Hell its probably available on some website. Plus it was just a petty object. This was a military expedition after all. In a professional military. But all in the vehicle knew the value of items given by loved ones. And while the question of attempting to find it struck everyone's mind, it was just as simply cast out. This was a book. It wasn't critical in any way to the party. Thomas would not ask to risk lives for such a thing, and neither would anyone volunteer to take a valued member of the party away. Though for a somber moment of silence everyone in the vehicle felt the presence of some item that a loved one had once presented them. From Ana's wedding ring, to the Beanie that Gabriel had, a gift from Jack.

"Don't worry Thomas. I'm sure he won't be mad." Said Fareeha. Thomas nodded.

"He won't be mad. I just didn't want to lose it you know? It is just a book after all. There will be more." There was a simple sadness in the words. A resigned acknowledgement. Fareeha smacked him on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit." And Thomas winced painfully at the contact. Fareeha withdrew her own hand, wincing herself in knowledge of the pain. "Sorry."

"'s fine. My whole body is mostly one big bruise now. From my neck down my spine and to my ribs."

"Ouch. That'll take a while to heal. You seem to have a talent for hurting yourself." Thomas nodded, small blossoms of pain marking his inability to do so. An artificial silence settled uneasily over the vehicle.

"Since we've all decided to be quiet, Thomas, tell us about the most dangerous creatures we may encounter on our way to the outpost? We are going for broke here." Thomas was silent, but Gabriel knew he had been heard.

"Well... uh. We should be good from the really small things. The farther we all go inland the more likely the little things will not bother us."

"I take it that means the big ones will though?" Asked Ana from the front passenger seat.

"Yes. We all smell of Polar Bear now. Most of us. That will deter many things for the next day or so. Until the smell wears off."

"I feel bad for burning them to death. Those death cries. The screeching sounds kept me up last night." Said Jason.

"Don't. They are very intelligent, but they are not natural evolutions. They are the result of omnic experiments, controlled doses of radiation, and the cruel whims of mother nature. While certainly more anatomically sound than most other monsters, they are no less plagued by the burden of existence. It is our job to free them of their horrible burden when possible." Then it was quiet again.

"That is probably the creepiest thing you've ever said Thomas." Said Olivia, smiling.

"It's not that bad." Countered Thomas.

"It is our job to free them of their horrible burden? That is really scary. Like, cultist scary." Replied Olivia.

"Well the point is the same. These animals are invasive species. That's why they built that damned wall to the south. To keep them all in here. Course it didn't work. To many people opposed it. Started bombing it. Blowing holes in it because it was an affront to the human rights of the people inside. If only they knew the creatures that don't give a damn about human rights. Or worse, the people that don't. While we are talking on such a cheerless subject, would anyone be interested in the history of the greatest human enemy we will face?" A small amount of yes's sounded out, but no one objected.

"All right. history lesson time. So after the omnic wars, when so much of world was still in ruins, people decided to not wait for order and to seize power for themselves. Hundreds of factions popped up. Surviving towns, stranded soldiers, even some omnics that weren't destroyed. Most of them filtered out. They died or joined other factions. Soon, only about a dozen remained, the most important, were the Guardians, and the Frontiersman. Two factions. The Frontiersman said, that the only way that people will survive, is by banding together. So the people, the villages and people would all donate almost all of there extra supplies, to be distributed. People who produced more were expected to give more, so that by the end of the year, everyone would have mostly equal supplies and opportunity. The big difference, the Frontiersman, felt that all supplies meant all supplies equally. That meant big settlements would get an equal amount as small settlements. If they were found hiding something, people died. Of course, a bug village needs much more than a small, so bug villages started to leave. They couldn't survive like this. And soon the small villages stopped producing things. Anything they made or produced was taken, and at they would always have everything they need. There was no incentive to work. So soon, the Frontiersman was losing everything. There leader, Maverick, decided that they needed to wage a war against the Guardians, whose distribution tactics favored individual towns and people."

"The Guardians system, believed that people could keep what they make, and they would sell supplies to the government. Through this system, all the towns would prosper through there own means, and the nation could accelerate an economy become stable. Rather than giving people money and food, they earned it through there own work and skill. The leader of this country, was a man named Alexander. His nation prospered greatly, while Maverick's collapsed under the weight of its own inadequacy. So Maverick gathered his people and declared a desperate war on the Guardians."

"And the Guardians lost?" Asked Lena.

"No. They won. Maverick was killed and the Frontiersman capitulated. What happened though, is when the Frontiersman were annexed, it gave them citizenship to the Guardians country. That meant they could vote on various social and government policies. And unfortunately that meant, that the people who were so desperate to escape the oppressiveness of the Frontiersman country, immediately started to vote for the policies that made the Frontiersman an oppressive place. Of course they couldn't. The people of the Guardians nation were not about to allow such policies like forced de-armament of the population, or forcing the people to give supplies to poor towns. The Guardians, and there peoples believed that each village survived of its own accord. The only reason they were a nation was so they wouldn't be attacked by other nations. For protection, not financial aid."

"However, Maverick had a brother. Mason. Twins. But few people ever knew, and even fewer were still alive at that point. So Mason decides to pretend to be Maverick, reborn. He stated that he was blessed by the lady of the ice. That she resurrected him. He returned, and begged Alexander, openly and publicly, for forgiveness. He said his mind was unclear. He begged and pleaded, that all he wanted was the forgiveness of his people and his enemies. Fucker was good. He buttered up to everyone that heard him. They called him a new man. And Alexander made the worst mistake he could. He believed that you should keep friends close, and enemies closer. He made Mason, now Maverick reborn, governor."

"It took about two years. Two years of politicking. But Maverick used his story about the lady of the ice to form a religious cult. A sect that united most of the religious organisations. They preached many things. Equality. That every person deserves a second chance. That every person, no matter how evil, has some good in them. They need only to find it. Alexander loved the sect. He ate it up, but he wasn't a true believer. What he didn't realize, and and the numbers aren't exact, but approximately... a quarter of the population of the Guardians followed his religion. Followed him. About... fifteen percent were from the Frontiersman, and followed Maverick. And he governed, another twenty percent. That's... sixty percent? Sixty percent of the country. Then Alexander died at a dinner. No one could figure out how. Leading belief, he choked to death."

"And when Alexander died. There was an election. Six candidates ran for Chancellor of the Guardians, and guess who won."

"Mason, now Maverick."

"In the guise of Maverick, Mason's very dead brother, he won the election in a landslide. Then it went to shit. He changed the countries name, to Guardians of the Frontier. To try and unify the 'clashing cultures of the country'. Then he started gathering more power. People were banished for crimes they didn't commit. Maverick told people, of horrible attacks. People going mad in villages, and wiping out dozens of people before killing themselves. He disarmed almost the entire country, for 'any person who truly believes they are more capable of protecting themselves then there government is, is a danger to themselves and there government.' Once he disarmed the people, he started ignoring their wishes. Votes were ignored, laws repealed. Whenever the people organised for peaceful protest, as was there right in the Guardians constitution, they were dispersed with force. People were killed, or imprisoned. Then, the country fell apart. The people who didn't support Maverick rose up, demanding a return to the old policies. They were massacred wholesale. Without weapons, they had no way to enforce there rights. So to say, without weapons, they had not rights. With the dissidents dead as traitors, Maverick was celebrated as a hero."

"But Mason was different then Maverick. He organised the same kind of government. Reckoned it was 'to big to fail.' But he did one thing different. Rather than sitting and letting the country stabilize, he started declaring war. With every war, he annexed territory, and bullied villages and towns. He stole there food and supplies, as 'payment.' He gave these supplies to let his original towns and cities grow larger. And left the not desolate towns to their fates, returning only to steal what he could the next year. He's been doing that for years now." Then Thomas fell silent. Then the vehicle fell silent. And in the silence, there was nothing. No wind or whistle. Nothing.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only I review this so be lenient on spelling errors.

Two days later.

So the APC's totally fucked. A band of bandits tried to destroy it, and they were all killed. Unfortunately, about six of the rounds pierced the hover pads, breaking the electricity connection and cutting off power to about a quarter of the pads. That meant when they activated the pads the vehicle listed so badly that the front right end scraped the ground. That also meant that they couldn't use the pads without damaging the vehicle further. And with the pads out of the question they needed to use the grips on the tires to get over trees and power lines and other debris. Climbing unfortunately took much longer and left the vehicle more exposed as they did it.

The thing that finally did the vehicle in though, was the muskegs. In a land of roaming bandits, monsters and horrors, it was the muskegs that did in the vehicle. Without the hover pads the vehicle became marred in the loose soil, making it stick in the ground and become stuck, sinking slowly. The group bailed out, taking weapons and supplies with them and with Thomas's help they left the muskeg, watching with a sad sense of finality as the headlights of the vehicle slipped under the surface of the loose, icy soil, muck slipping into the inner compartments of the vehicle and dragging it down like a thousand loose tentacles.

Now the group walked on. The wind biting into them and buffeting the group, icy spikes driving through small holes in their clothes and grabbing there skin in its biting embrace. The thick forest, while offering some protection for brief moments, caused the wind to gain speed and pelt the group with snow. Everyone struggled to keep moving, larger people like Gabriel or Jason found the wind lingering on their shoulders, pulling them backwards and whispering its intentions into there ears. Smaller people like Olivia, Lena or Thomas found themselves often having to bury their feet into the snow to keep from blowing over, and it wasn't always successful.

Same time.

"So is this that blizzard we were supposed to beat to the station?" Shouted Lena, taking another pained step forward in a brief lapse in the buffeting wind.

"Yes! I talked to Jack before we lost the vehicle. Overwatch thinks that the base is underground now. However, they also said that the storms spiral center has become unstable." Gabriel shouted, deep voice being carried away by the wind.

"And that means?" Asked Jason.

"It means the storm is no longer circular. It means, we will get hit like this, then it will stop. It will keep happening as the main body moves over us, until it doesn't let up. We need to be leaving by then."

"So if the storm is out of control, how long until we hit the point of no return?" Interjected Thomas.

"WHAT!" Shouted Gabriel, having to plant his feet to keep from blowing over.

"HOW LONG?!" He shouted, feeling a trickle of blood on his cheek where some snow had slit the skin.

"A WEEK!"

"A WEEK LEFT? THAT'S NOT TO BAD!"

"NO! WE LOST A WEEK!" Thomas paused, and for a brief moment everyone froze up. They kept walking, but communication wasn't attempted anymore. Up ahead a branch snapped up ahead from the wind and flew through. Lena leapt out of the way, but Fareeha took it in the gut, flying backwards into Gabriel. He caught her, but grunted loudly from the pain. He pushed her on her feet and kept walking though, almost entirely unaffected from the blow. Now the snow blew strong, a final push that grew inexorably stronger, so much so that Lena and Thomas grabbed onto each other, trying desperately to keep from being whisked away. Still they were being pushed backwards, and Thomas slammed a hammer into a tree, holding tight to Lena's hand. Everyone in the group grab something as the wind pushed even the strongest of the group forward. Ana produced an Ice Pick and caught her own tree. Olivia and Jason held each other, there weight enough to hold them down. Even Gabriel had to stoop down low and grab a tree root. If anyone were blown away they probably wouldn't land in the Wizard of Oz. With this final surge the winds were sapped of strength in there entirety, and the buffeting force died down. The snow stopped whipping, and began falling. Beautiful balls of snow, falling with shocking delicacy onto the ground and the trees. Within minutes everything and everyone was covered entirely with a blanket of white.

Small talk was attempted, but even without the windchill no one wanted to pull any clothing off their faces. In this temperature you could lose a nose or your lips to frostbite and not even feel them go. This made talking difficult, and unless you shouted loudly you weren't heard at all. Without the roaring wind the sound of crunching snow dominated. Every footfall sounding like a thousand twigs snapping at once, each snap a dinner bell to anything that heard. And things did hear. More than once shapes would be seen shifting about, quieted footfalls following the group. None attacked though.

One creature, a sort of two leg five foot tall chicken, with no wings or appendages other than legs and a head on a short, stubby neck and a slender, feathered body. The feathered creature let out a hoarse shriek, and jumped from one foot to the other, shrieking and running around. Soon a dozen of the creatures surrounded the group.

"Just don't shoot them. They'll panic."

"They'll panic?!" Asked Olivia, her SMG held tightly in a gloves hand but not firing. The animals, called Cliharts, continued to harass the group, shrieking and jumping and occasionally jumping close to a person, shrieking loudly, then jumping back. Some of the animals headbutt trees, causing a flurry of snow to fall. Sometimes they would charge a person, but as long as the person stayed still the Cliharts charge would break and there would be no damage.

At one point a smaller Clihart, this one only about four feet tall, dashed up to Thomas and let out a quieter, softer chirp rather than the piercing shriek they used before. It bobbed up and down, stepping forward slowly. Thomas slowly reached out and pet its feathered head. The animals beak opened, but closed again and it tilted its head so Thomas was petting its neck. Scratching it softly the animals made a cooing sound. The feathers were soft, and parted for his fingers so he could pet the bumpy and warm skin underneath. The cooing continued as he pet the animals stumpy neck, and the mobbing stopped. The animals slowly fell in with the group, several of them approaching other members of the group.

"So uh, Thomas, are these things going to follow us now because you pet one?" Asked Jason, yanking his hand away from a Clihart that tried to peck him. The animal cooed and walked away, long birdlike legs bending backwards as it walked away.

"Yeah. And you should be grateful. These Cliharts can't see too well, much less so in the dark, but they can smell predators for miles. As long as they are walking with us, they'll know way before we do if anything unsavory comes our way."

"Clee-hearts?" Asked Fareeha, keeping her distance from the animals.

"Yeah. Cliharts. They use their heads to bash trees and knock down various edibles from the tree tops. They are very kind though, kinda like a feathered zebra." And despite the grumbles of everyone, including Ana and Gabriel, the animals remained near the group. Various Cliharts darted forward to get pet by Thomas before darting away, forming a sort of ring around the group. Smaller rings containing a number of smaller Cliharts, these ones only two, maybe three feet tall, were found around the group of humans. Aside from a bit of pecking from the bolder of the Cliharts, most of which was met with harsh words that drove back the animals, there was peace. Cliharts would ram the occasional tree, causing a number of branches and even some hardy nuts to fall free. Several animals rushed the small collection of food, and occasionally an animal would kick a stone along the walk, knocking off snow and anything that clung to it before gathering it in its mouth, and swallowing. Occasionally one would cough up a stone, only to kick it away before gathering another.

Now the forest grew thick. Despite the thick snow that choked the life out of most vegetation hardy vines littered the ground, and small thorny bushes dotted the ground. They grabbed at everyone's ankles, and ripped at their pants. Slowly the group began to tuck shoelaces into their shoes, hoping they wouldn't get grabbed and pulled loose. The trees themselves were bereft of leaves, but all were so ancient that the limbs tangled together in a suffocating blanket that blotted out the sky and stars and the moon itself. The black was so intense that when the group came out of it into a clearing the bright was like daylight. Four trails went off back into the woods, each one a beacon of light leading a blazing path through the woods. In the distance a new range of mountains picked up, each peak looking taller and steeper than the last.

"Let me guess." Lena said dejectedly. "Those mountains are between us and the outpost." Gabriel nodded.

"Yep. It looks like the forest thins out nearer to the mountains. And, the outpost should be just over the range. Home stretch." Gabriel sounded confident, but a telltale weariness was creeping in his voice.

"Yeah, homestretch. Once we get there, if it is underground, we can get the info, wait out the storm and call in a transport, right?" Asked Fareeha. The weariness in her voice was evident Gabriel nodded.

"Right. Lets go." And the group set off down a trail towards the mountains, followed by the Cliharts. And as the gradient slowly became steadily steeper the forests began to thin out. The river went running down the mountain and through the forest, staying fairly straight down the path the entire time. The forest grew somewhat greener. Ground vegetation became more frequent. The trees, while still tall and imposing, did not quite blot out the light as they had before. The branches wound together like braided hair, and the even the roots reached out of the ground like fingers and grasps each other in complex patterns that ensnared the feet of the group. The Cliharts had no issue with the path though. They forged slowly ahead, waiting for Thomas and the group to make it closer before walking ahead again.

Before long the wind was picking up again, except this time instead of attempting to carry away the group it brought sheet of ice cold rain. It wasn't proper rain though. The water froze partway through, and small shards of ice impaled themselves into Thomas's skin. He brought his hood further down and his scarf further up. The ice still stung his eyes and he felt tears welling up to keep his eyes clear. In a particularly shocking and horrifying moment he saw a tear partially freeze on his eye lash before both it and the eyelash went whipping away. Thomas raised an arm to cover up his eyes, angling his face downwards and trying to focus on not tripping.

"Keep it up! There's a house up ahead!" Shouted Ana. Thomas opened his eyes and beheld a two story house. It looked intact... mostly. The windows and door looked attached still. If it got them dry it would work better than anything. But then Thomas noticed. While the house was only ten meters or so, the Cliharts had stopped several meters away. They stood together, looking at the group and at the house. Thomas felt a chill as he looked around the clearing the house sat on.

"WAIT!" The group halted, heads swiveling to look at Thomas.

"WHAT IS IT?!" Shouted Fareeha.

"THE ANIMALS. THEY WON'T GO FURTHER!" He heard Gabriel speak next.

"KID THEY'LL BE FINE. THEY'RE MADE FOR THIS TEMPERATURE!" Thomas looked back at them.

"NO! THEY WON'T GO FURTHER! i THINK SOMETHINGS WRONG! THE HOUSE, ITS SPOOKING THEM!" Olivia sighed loudly, though the noise was lost in the wind.

"THOMAS ITS A HOUSE. THEY'RE SPOOKED BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS! YOU WOULD BE TO! NOW COME ON, IF WE STAY OUT HERE WE'LL FREEZE." Or worse, they'll get frostbite.

"I DON'T THINK SO. THEY'RE SCARED. BADLY. AND WHY IS THERE A PERFECTLY OKAY HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE? I THINK ITS A BAD IDEA." Gabriel shook his head. He understood what Thomas thought, but they needed to get shelter.

"LOOK THOMAS, I GET IT. BUT WE NEED TO GO ANYWAY. WE'LL SCOUT IT OUT, POST GUARDS, BUT I AM ORDERING TO FOLLOW US!" Thomas could feel the pull to tell him to go fuck himself, but he followed, biting his remark. Now wasn't the time. The Cliharts let a final soft coo, and the flock turned and left a different direction. The house looked like a plain cabin. The building itself was a simple wooden cabin with a porch that had not withstood the times as well as the rest of the house. It bent outwards and sunk into the ground in some places. A porch swing was still there. It hung from the overhang, with small scratches and one arm rail missing. The first floor had one window that faced the forest. Frost spider webbed across it, an intricate and beautiful array of blue and white lines that reflected the light so effectively it was impossible to see through the panes of glass. The door itself was locked, and when Lena couldn't force she stepped back.

"Fareeha, you think you can bust this?" Gabriel told them to wait and bent over, picking up a small ceramic vase that at one point may have held a plant. He picked it up, and grabbed a small key out of it. He stood up, showing the two.

"A second look, is often the better solution." And he unlocked the door. Flashlights scanned the room. It was spacious, with a stair in one corner that went up hugging a wall then turned halfway up to meet the second floor. The second floor looked only half as big as the first floor. Beams ran up and down, left and right. On the first floor there was two counters that jutted into the room. Two chairs, big fluffy reclining chairs with dusty blue and green checkerboard cloth coverings sat in the corner, next to a large fireplace. Bookshelves, most empty, lined the walls. Behind one counter was a series of cabinets, a stove, and a fridge. Behind the second counter was a second door, as well as several large filing cabinets and a large square table with six old wooden chairs. The entire building looked in remarkable condition, like the scars of war had reached it hand out and grasped all in its grip, except this one lonely cottage. Thomas, Gabriel and Lena moved in, guns raised, flashlights on. Gabriel took a glow stick and tossed it up to the second floor, and the group stared up at the second floor. They watched the glow of the glow stick roll, searching for shadows that looked human, or not human. Listening for the sound of movement. But there was nothing, and Thomas stepped forward, grabbing a beam and began slowly and silently climbing. Peeking between the space of the stair guards to see three bunk beds, a fireplace with a potbelly stove, a closet and two dressers. No people. No monsters. Thomas slid back down the beam, getting a splinter in the meat of his hand between his thumb and index finger. Thomas let go, falling the last five feet easily and shaking his hand. He bit down on the splinter and pulled it out easily, spitting it on the ground.

"Fuck. Ow. Its clear. Splinters a bitch though." Thomas wiped the small amount of blood on his coat, not noticing the small bit of blood on the beam. With the two floors clear the group piled in and took up positions. Guns were trained on the door, people slowly scanned the cabin. The two floors were clean. Totally clean. No bodies. No monsters. Nothing to kill them, except maybe the smell. The door, rather than explore it trying to find some creature, was blocked with a bookshelf and the groups bags were piled up on it. It was heavy enough that something would have to knock over several several dozen pounds and bust down the door. The wind outside had picked up, and the house shifted in from the force of the unending onslaught.

And despite the fact this was the safest they could possibly be Thomas was a wreck in this house. His every instinct was so worked up he almost vomited trying to drink some water. The windows tapped from the force of snow hitting and Thomas jumped at each sound. So he busied himself. He decided to make a fire, using some conveniently stored timber that was in one of the cabinets. It was old, very old, and it lit easily, but the timber itself took looked like it would burn for a while. Coats were stripped off and hung in out of the way positions so the water that had accumulated could drip away and hopefully dry the clothes. The fire itself was doing well. The wood was lighting, and Thomas was slowly putting in feeder branches when Lena tapped him on the shoulder. Thomas jumped violently, hand immediately going for his pistol as he turned around. Lena jumped again, and Thomas let go of his pistols grip, sighing quietly.

"Don't do that!" He scolded, turning back to the fire. Lena frowned and pursed her lips, ready to snap back with something, but she stopped.

"Thomas, are you okay?" He glanced back at her, and held her gaze for a moment before breaking it.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"It's okay if you aren't okay." She offered, but Thomas shook his head.

"I'm just nervous. What do you need?" Lena didn't speak for a moment.

"Gabriel says we should eat while we can. He was wondering when the fire would be done."

"Right. Yeah. Okay it's uh, it's done now. He can cook whatever with the pots and stuff." Thomas stood up so fast he nearly knocked Lena over. There was a loud clap of thunder and Thomas jumped again, looking to a nearby window. It was pitch black outside, and Thomas gulped.

"Its just thunder Thomas." Said Lena, looking from the window to Thomas. He nodded.

"Yeah. Just thunder. Just thunder." Thomas heard another boom and felt his spine stiffen. He made a brief excusing remark and quickly made his way up the stairs to the second floor. He sat down on a bed, trying his hardest not to vomit, and lay back. A bright flash of lightning somewhere nearby, causing Thomas to jump and hit his head on the bottom of the bunk above him. He whimpered quietly and decided to get up out of the bed. He then slid underneath the bottom bunk. It was dusty and cold, but it made him feel safer. And childish. God damn it Thomas felt like a child. He began to extract himself from under the bed, but another lightning strike caused him to slip back under the bed, cowering in fear. Thunder storms always mean bad things. Always. Thomas gulped and wrapped his arms around himself, feeling the cold reaching out its frigid tendrils towards him.

Below he heard Gabriel call up.

"Thomas! Supper time. Get it while its hot or it'll get sticky. We got... M.R.E. Mac and cheese block, beans and pasta marinara I wonder who thought that was a good combination and we got tortillas!" Thomas glanced at the stairs from under the bed.

"Down in a second!" He said. He shivered and shook his head. Despite the fact the steps had very verbally protested when Thomas's lithe frame had set weight on them Ana made it up without a peep. She had two small plates, and stopped mid-step when she saw Thomas under the bed. Ana glanced down at the group, none of whom were paying her any attention to Ana. She made her way up the rest of the stairs and set the plates on the bed, sitting cross legged on the ground next to the bed.

"Hey Thomas. You okay under there?" Thomas took a breathe before he spoke.

"I'm scared Ana. Really scared. I feel like something horrible is going to happen, but I don't know what it is, or what to do, I-" His breathe caught in his throat. "I'm scared." Ana leaned backwards.

"Thomas, I have seen a lot of things since I became a soldier. Even more so since I became a mother. I cannot begin to imagine what horrible things you've seen out here. You have the most reason to be scared out of all of us. And that's okay. It's okay to be scared. I'm scared. Gabriel's scared. But part of being in a family means that we help each other not be afraid. And no matter what you think you, and Olivia, are my family. You're not alone here Thomas. I don't know how much time you spent alone, around people who hurt you. People who abused you. Some people never get over abuse. It's okay to be not okay. " She lay her hand, open palm to the roof, in front of the bed. Thomas reached out a took her hand, and she squeezed it tightly, smiling to herself.

"But no matter you should know that your family will be there for you. As foreign as that may be, we will help you, no matter what. Now, the food is getting cold. If you wish to stay up here we may, but I would certainly enjoy your company while eating." And so Thomas removed himself, somewhat reluctantly, from under the bed. He had cobwebs and dust bunnies in his hair, and Ana laughed at how his hair was sticking up. She picked a few out of his hair before handing him a plate. The food itself was horrible, but talking to Ana made him feel relaxed. He still jumped at every bolt of lightning, and boom of thunder, but Ana managed to easily distract him from it.

"Lena said the same thing earlier to me." Remarked Thomas. Ana nodded.

"Right. Where do you think she got it from?" Thomas nodded quietly, building his courage.

"So... Ana, I'm sorry. I was rude... yesterday? I think yesterday. But I was rude and I shouldn't be." He braced himself for something. Scolding. To be told he is right to be sorry. But Ana smiled.

"Thomas, if I got mad every time a teenager made a snappy comeback I'd feel twice as old and look the part. And you were correct to be angry. I understand if there are things you don't want to talk about, and it wasn't right of me to push." With nothing else to say Thomas fell silent. Eventually food was finished and scraped clean. What few bits wasn't eaten was scraped into the fire, and the group set up in various positions. The windows without blinds were covered, and the doors barred. The storm raged on outside, its violent lashes pulling at the fibers of the house. Thomas lay down in one bag, next to Lena and Olivia, hoping to share some body heat between the three. Outside a wet slosh was heard, and a wet nose sniffs the air, the creature it belongs to smiling and licking its rotting lips. It clawed hands clutched a book close, sniffing it and smiling. The writing read Star Wars, but it was not the symbols it bore that interested it. It was the scent.

Later.

The storms had passed yet again, and the silence that suffocated the night was total and complete. Thomas lay awake to the right of Lena and Olivia, wide awake and totally aware of every little sound. More so, the lack said sound. Not a flutter or twitch was heard outside. No feet hitting the ground, nor the rapid scratch of some animals breath. The snow sounded undisturbed, and and the trees were spared of the weight of animals. Thomas bit his fingernails, and strained his ears, desperate to hear some sound. Finally, it became to much. Thomas silently rose up off the ground, and moved without a sound to the window. He took a deep breath and parted the curtains with his two fingers, creating a whole barely large enough to see out of. It was daylight, sort of. More so the shining of the sun's light, gleaming around the tree tops and rippling as the sun's light gleamed on the snow. It was beautiful, and Thomas could see nothing. He let the curtains reconnect and drown out the light.

Thomas looked around the cabin. He knew that upstairs there was a sentinel, but Thomas couldn't see who was on guard. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He needed sleep. How long had it been since he'd slept. At least a couple of days. Thomas sat in the chair, wincing as he heard it creak quietly and lay back in the chair. He blinked once, then twice, and in a cruel twist of fate the third time he blinked people were getting up and it was two hours later. He sighed and stood up a bit to fast, sitting back down and blinking.

"Careful old timer. You'll hurt yourself." Teased Fareeha. Thomas ignored it and stood up again, this time not falling. It was brighter outside, and sunlight streamed in through the cracks of the windows. Gabriel went over to the fire and began poking around, seeing if he could find any embers. Thomas glanced out the window as various people checked whatever they needed. There was still nothing to see outside, but now that the storm was over he wanted to look at the rest of the outside house. Except he didn't want to go outside alone.

"Hey Olivia, want to go outside with me?" Olivia looked up from her bag.

"Thomas, it's like -4 degrees outside. I'm warm. Stay inside." Thomas looked at Lena and Jason, and all of them looked like they really don't want to be outside. Thomas shook his head.

"Fine, I'll do it myself." And he stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

And Jesus fucking Christ it's cold. But he could hear things. The sound of birds, feet crunching in the snow, at least feet other than his. It was the forest, and it was alive. Thomas started walking to the left of the house. The left side of the house was, surprisingly, not damaged either. Thomas ran his hands over the cold wood, marveling at how it had held up. He waled further, glancing at the tree line. It was dense, and Thomas shivered at the thought of what could be looking inside. A stab of fear hit him, and he decided 'Fuck this' is the correct course of action. He turned around to make his way to the door and almost screamed at the form of Gabriel, who had soundlessly snuck up behind him.

"Hey kid. Find anything?" Thomas looked at the woods and looked back.

"Not yet. I uh, I think you were right." Gabriel glanced around at the tree line, a brief scan for movement. "We should go in. Now." Thomas was slightly hunched over and his eyes darted to and fro across the tree line. Gabriel felt something was off, a sudden suffocating and all encompassing silence, as if every sound in the world had been suddenly extinguished. Already near the corner, Thomas decided that a brief peek around the corner could justify going back inside. It was stupid logic, more so the lack of logic. But in the same way he would call horror movie characters stupid he felt the sudden urge to peak. A glimpse, a sneak peek. Like a kid just pushing apart the wrapping of his presents, he needed to see. Rounding the corner, he saw blood. Lots of blood. Trailing into the door way, the door of which was shut thankfully. Their was no stench, and the new snowfall nearly blocked it away. But it was their. Clear crimson under a thin sheet of white.

The reaction was immediate. The peek had been taken, the toll enforced. Knowing better than to run, Thomas turned to Gabriel.

"Walk slowly back to the door." Gabriel paused, glancing at Thomas, then nodded. The two walked slowly, casually. A stroll through the snow. As if seeing all the blood hadn't confirmed that something lived in the area blocked by the shelf and bags. Thomas continued to glance at the woods, looking for some sign of some sort of danger. Then he felt it. A sudden and intense rumbling. The ground itself rebelling from them. The thundering of thousands of hooves, and the snap of trees uprooted.

"Earthquake!" Said Gabriel, and he grabbed Thomas, pushing both of them on the ground. Gabriel kept a shotgun in his other hand, but covered Thomas's body. The were in the open, but anything could happen in an earthquake. Even open terrain isn't safe.  
The rumbling sped through them, colliding hard and retreating just as quickly. nearby a tree fell over, then a second. The two had been already weakened by the winds, the earthquake had uprooted the great things. The leaves left on the ancient trees fell to ground in a great final display of grandeur, fluttering shades of green falling on the ground with a final rustle. When the last of the shaking stopped, Gabriel looked up. Thomas, underneath him still, looked up.

"Is it over?" He asked. Earthquakes were by no means an uncommon occurrence to Thomas, but it had been years since he'd been in one. Gabriel pushed up off the ground, and helped Thomas up. The two glanced at the woods when they heard the door open. Fareeha, Jason and Olivia came out quickly, each one with various levels of clothes appropriate for the weather. And all armed to the teeth. They were jumpy as well, not just from the earthquake. The five met, and with a brief exchange of glances confirmed each was okay. The five all but ran into the house, and Thomas fucked it up. He looked over at the tree. There was nothing in it. The tree itself was barren. Past the tree though, slightly up the hill, was a rusted red pickup tree, flipped on its side. The windshield looked busted, and the tree it lay against had dozens of scratches, from two clawed hands. Thomas froze mid stride, staring at the truck with wide eyes.

  "Thomas? Let's go." He saw the shape of Olivia running up to him, felt the touch of her hand. Then he felt the bile in his throat. Thomas fell to the ground, and vomited. It tasted awful, and since he'd eaten so little the past several days it was almost all stomach acid. It went up through his nose and into the snow. He tried in vain to rise to his feet, aided by Olivia, but he couldn't stand. The image of the truck. It kept spinning. He was being pulled inside, god it was so cold. And fast. The world was fast. Thomas's head dipped, and he jerked it up again.

"Come on Thomas, we got to." Thomas felt, smaller. Shorter. Everything was taller. And cold.

"THOMAS!" Thomas looked to his right. God, everything was spinning. But it was... Arthur? God, it was Arthur.

"Arthur? What, what's happening?" He smiled, perfect teeth almost shining. His large, gentle bright green eyes shone on him, and he leaned forward, adjusting the strap around Thomas. It was... a seat belt. Arthur's hand brushed his forehead. It was soft, clean. Warm. Thomas leaned into the touch and smiled. Arthur withdrew the hand slowly. He had on nice clothes. Not torn. Not damaged. His hair was just like Thomas always remembered. Hanging just above his eyes, beard growing in patchy and uneven. It was Arthur.

"You took a bad hit. Don't worry though. I got the truck. I got the food. We can get out." He had that thick British accent. It made Thomas laugh when he heard it. Laughing hurt though. Thomas felt rumbling below him, and like that he slipped away into sleep.

Later.

Thomas jolted awake. The truck was stopped. They'd hit something. His head? It felt like it. Their was so much smoke. And... fire. It was warm. Yellow and warm. Thomas smiled. It felt so good. He heard Arthur yelling. Shouting. Screaming. At him. He was banging on the window. The glass was splintering from the force of it. Then he was gone. Like a flash every was silent. Everything except the gentle crackle of fire. Their was nothing else. Just the warming snap and pop. A face, like a deer's but with fangs and rotting cheeks. It pressed itself up against the window. It smiled at him, tapping the glass before turning away. Thomas blinked, the slightest link of recognition. Thomas opened his mouth and screamed. And the fire still crackled.

Thomas thrashed and screamed and fell out of the bed, coughing and choking.

"Arthur!" He screamed. But it- it wasn't Arthur. And Thomas wasn't short. He wasn't in the- the red truck. It was a dream. Arthur was still dead. Thomas put a hand to his mouth and gagged. A metal bucket was pushed in front of him. He threw up in it and gasped for breath in between bats of puking and heaving. He felt a large hand on his back, rubbing his shoulder reassuringly.

"Breath clearly. Don't gasp." It was Angela. Fuck Thomas's stomach was in knots.

Angela helped Thomas back in the bed. He'd been mumbling in his sleep, and had awoken, screaming for his brother and looking delirious. He had sweat all across his face, and despite the freezing cold he was almost 104 degrees. This had all taken place in an hour. He had seen something, frozen up, and begun vomiting. His temperature had begun to skyrocket. And infuriatingly Angela didn't know what was wrong with him. Of the Myriad of possible illnesses and afflictions the most likely one she, Gabriel or anyone could come up with was food poisoning. But if it was food poisoning it meant that the rations had been tampered with. He hadn't eaten anything else for days. And that brought up other worries. If the food was tampered with, how much of it was good? Could they trust any of the food? And so for the last hour Angela, Jason, Gabriel and Ana all talked and borderline shouted as raised voices were exchanged. None of them particularly wanted to continue. And now with critical supply shortages possibly becoming a variable. Well they were totally fucked.

There had been a plan to exfiltrate this nightmare, but the problem was that it would require a large and wide open space. And they had just spent the last two days trekking through woods so dense they could hardly breath in them. And of course Thomas was delusional with a massive fever. He wouldn't be able to move, at least not on his own. And as much as Gabriel hated it he could hear the gentle scratching of something from the locked room. Thomas had peaked around the corner and just told Gabriel to go. And almost immediately after they went inside another fucking windstorm kicked up.

"What if we called it anyway? Just, Fuck it. Call it anyway." Asked Jason. It was redundant, they all knew that.

"The same reason we didn't use it to get here. We need to find a landing sight. Someplace clear of vegetation, which is apparently to much to ask for the middle of fucking nowhere. We need to have exact coordinates. We need the storm to be clear for at least two hours. We need it to be daytime, and we're on a mountain, behind us is days of dense alpine forest we just almost died to get through, and in front is a mountain range, who knows how many mountains deep. We may be out of food, jury's still out on that one. And on top of it we have one soldier who can't even stand by himself."

"If we choose to trust the food we can stay here until the storm dissipates. It should only remain for another week, maybe two. Of course by then the information will almost certainly be unreachable." Stated Ana. She had a tea cup with coffee in it. The last of her tea she was saving to mix with medicine. She'd found it worked better that way.

"Of course, that assumptions runs on Thomas simply being unlucky, or previously afflicted. If the food is tampered with then we have maybe three days before this whole thing turns into the Donner party 2.0" Stated Jason calmly.

"That's not funny. That's not funny at all Jason." Angela sighed as she said it. It wouldn't come to cannibalism. But what could they do. No clear chooses. No good options. Stuck.

Later.

After two more hours of discussion nothing was decided. At this point everyone in the group had weighed in there opinion, and no clear consensus could be reached. And the scratching from the locked room was louder. Everyone was hearing it now. At this point night had swung around again, encouraged by the storm. At some point Thomas sat up in the bed. Straight up, like a possessed man. Half the group was asleep, the other half were busying themselves by the fire. Gabriel heard the stairs creak loudly as he came down. Thomas looked awful. Face drained of color, eyes hollow. He was tightly wrapped up in a blanket. Gabriel smiled sadly. Food poisoning sucked.

"Hey kid. Thirsty? The waters still good. And we have some granola bars if you can keep it down." Thomas blinked slowly, and continued walking.

"Thomas? You okay?" At this point the people by the fire were watching him walk up to the pile of bags and the bookshelf. He paused in front of it, staring at it. Olivia looked at Gabriel and stood up. She walked up to Thomas, who had stopped moving in front of the barred door.

"Hey Thomas. Feeling better?" Thomas stared at the door. His breathing was loud enough Olivia heard it over the howl of the storm.

"Arthur's in there." Olivia blinked. Thomas had rarely talked about Arthur. Or Elizabeth. She knew they were dead, but not when it had happened, or how.

"Your brother is in there?" Thomas nodded.

"We just got away. He had stolen a truck. A red truck. But we crashed in the forest. Trois Crocs found us. He dragged us here. We were in these cages. And he would pull us out, and start eating. Arthur gave me his ring. Before it killed him. He told me not to look. His bodies still in there. He never got to be buried. And Trois Crocs is down there." Thomas shook his head and tried to take a step, but his knees buckled and Olivia caught him before he fell. 

"We need to- we need to leave. We have to leave." His voice lacked strength and his head lolled backwards with his mouth open before he was out again. Olivia stood there awkwardly cradling her brother before Gabriel got there to help keep Thomas from falling. They then managed to keep him steady enough and lay him back in the beds on the second floor. Olivia tucked him in, wrapping a second blanket around him and smiled sadly. The sound of thunder boomed and Thomas's brow furrowed. Olivia frowned and sat on the floor next to the bed.


	25. Hello Again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small chapter today. I wanted it end here for reasons. Enjoy. Only two, maybe three more Canada chapter before we go back to fluff and smut and comfort. Lots of smut and comfort.

They'd left the cabin earlier in the day, at a lucky part where a storm broke and the sun rose. It was the best time they could get. They had to cross the mountains, which luckily were not total mountains, more so a series of very steep hills. But there were no cliffs they had to climb yet. Thomas was sort of piggy backed on Gabriel's back. For his part he'd tried to walk it. He'd made it almost a mile, but his illness had morphed. He wasn't vomiting anymore, which was a relief, but now he had painful stomach cramps. Painful enough that he would occasionally have to stop and lean against a tree, forcing the rest of the party to slow down. With some arguing and a conveniently timed and exceptionally painful cramp he agreed to get piggy back. Now he was awkwardly sort of backpacked on Gabriel's back. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable for either of them. The slow up and down somehow settled Thomas's stomach, in the same way hearing a toilet flush might. And Thomas was a furnace. For someone who's weight barely even topped triple digits he gave off heat like a polar bear. And not the kind of heat that made you sweaty, the warm kind you get when you wake up and it's freezing outside but you're really warm because you have a half dozen blankets on you. The comfy warm.

Thomas had his head resting in the crook of Gabriel's neck. Between his shoulders and his chin. His arms were draped over, and he had little straps holding him on so neither had to grip the other. Several members of the group had taken blankets with them, and Thomas was tightly wrapped in one. The storm had subsided, and so to had the wind, but the wind still gripped their bodies and pulled on them. Gabriel could feel the steady breathing of Thomas of his neck, and briefly wondered if he'd fallen asleep like this. He'd made them swear to never tell anyone that he needed to be carried like a tired child in the middle of a mission. Carried like a wounded soldier was okay. Carried like a tired child, very not okay.

"I know this is stupid, but how much farther? I can't feel my fake hand." Complained Olivia. Everyone was cold and tired and thanks to a flurry of snow everyone was at least a little wet. Sleep had been hard for everyone and everyone was becoming grouchy. Even Ana felt herself become irritated at stupid things she wouldn't normally.

"We have to go through the mountains. It'll be a little while. Rub your chest to keep warm. Your arms will warm up too." Said Jason. The monotonous droning of feet crunching the snow was enough to drive people mad, but it was to cold to talk. Lena almost felt like she could feel her very blood was slowing down. Like heavy snowflakes were attaching themselves to her blood cells. Thomas groaned quietly.

"Water... please." Gabriel closed his eyes. Thomas had been asking, almost begging for more and more water. He needed to keep hydrated, but they had a finite amount of water. Gabriel took a water bottle and handed it to Thomas, watching him guide the bottle to his mouth a drink slowly. They had boiled and filtered a large amount of water before leaving, but with this cold the water may freeze on them in the very bottle. Thomas still seemed to understand rationing, and despite still being thirsty he handed the water back, and let his head fall back into the crook of Gabriel's shoulder. Olivia drowned and slowed down a little, taking up pace next to Gabriel. She put a hand up on Thomas's cheek, feeling if he still had a fever at all. Thomas smiled at her.

"Hey Olivia. When did you get a sixth finger?" He asked, words slurring slightly. Olivia smiled sadly. Angela had said he might be a bit delirious still, and it seemed to come and go in waves.

"Five fingers Thomas." He blinked and frowned, lifting his head up.

"Why am I strapped to Gabriel's back?" Gabriel turned his head to look at him.

"Look Thomas, I get you don't want to be reliant on people, but this is the third time you've asked me that and every time I end up letting you down, you walk for a quarter mile and collapse, making us stop and put you back on." Thomas blinked again and lowered his head.

"Whatever..." Olivia waited a moment before speaking.

"And he's out."

"Must be nice. Getting to sleep while we march." Muttered Fareeha.

"No, don't envy him to much. I've had food poisoning before. Of all the non lethal things you could get, food poisoning is up there as one of the worst." Said Jason.

"So on a top five scale what is food poisoning. With one being the worst." Asked Lena. Jason paused before speaking.

"Depending on how bad you get it, I'd say a three. Maybe a two if you get it really bad. And it'll get worse before better."

"What does it feel like?" Asked Lena.

"Remember the Thanksgiving you 'accidentally' ate a whole tray of biscuits. Like that but worse in every way." Lena thought about that. She'd actually eaten even more than that, but she'd only ever admitted to having eaten twelve. She'd felt awful, and she felt another twinge of pity for Thomas. As the group continued walking they came across a corpse in the woods. It was a man. He was pale even before he died and his body was both in half and frozen over. His chest was collapsed. and his ribs were visible. His face was sunken in and the bottom half of him was no where to be found. Where guts may have once been were an empty cavity. The mans arms looked gnawed on with shockingly human bite marks.

"That's... morbid. What ate him?" Wondered Fareeha. Angela bent over and looked at him. He had maggots inside what once was his chest cavity.

"It's... recent. Hard to tell, but I think he was out here when we were with the, the Cliharts. " Angela didn't touch him, but did use her flashlight to see inside his chest cavity. She made a face when she did.

"I have seen a lot of disgusting things. But he's been, er hmm, he's been hollowed out. By a person." Thomas looked up.

"Cannibals. They're not friendly.... Tried to eat my toe once." Thomas's face fell forward into Gabriel's shoulder, and he fell silent.

"Wait, Cannibals?" Lena asked. "If it's cannibals, why leave anything? Why leave like half of him?" Angela stood up.

"It is possible they took the... nutritious... bits and left the rest. He is mostly skin and bones from the looks of it. And I think they may have... tasted him. And chose to leave the rest." She made a quiet urping noise and looked away, clearly disgusted. "It may be prudent to leave. Whomever did this may still be holed up nearby." A brief discussion followed about burying him, but ultimately it was struck down and the group moved on. Unfortunately it seemed mother nature was kinda pissed at the group. Not an hour after leaving the corpse a literal wall of sleet hit the group. It fell straight down and seemed to go through any clothing to immediately hit bare skin. The group tried to get away from it, but they could only go in a straight line for fear of losing their bearings. And it seemed that now they hit the hurtles of traveling even more. The rain made the trees rain down leaves and pines needles onto the group. Sometimes entire tree limbs fell, not from the wind which had died down, but from the sheer weight of the half frozen water hitting the dead branches. And then the greatest indignity hit.

The sleet was raining hard, and everyone was once again soak and wet. Finally they burst into a clearing. With a familiar cabin.

"Is that the same fucking cabin we just left?" Asked Fareeha. And then the wind started picking up.

"Just- just get in!" Shouted Ana, feeling her own anger rising up. And the group piled in to find the inside of the cabin had changed significantly. The bookshelf was pushed over. Snow had been tracked in, and the chairs had been cut open. The stuffing was ripped out, and it was all stained red. Entrails of some sort hung between the banisters, dangling still with small puddles of blood pooling underneath. The door to the other room led downstairs, and two hinges were broken at the middle and bottom. Skulls, some still with bits of hair and skin attached, adorned the counter. Many of which had scratches, cracks and bite marks along them. Thomas, who had been put down because of the rain and fallen limbs, spoke up. "What's the matter?" The walls had 'Welcome back' and 'I missed you' on the walls, written in what looked and smelled like both blood and shit. Gabriel glanced at Fareeha, who was standing in the doorway.

"Guys, we're gonna freeze if we stay out here much longer." Piped Lena. Gabriel drew a shotgun, followed by Fareeha and Lena. The whole cabin was trashed. The curtains were ripped, with long slash marks running through the fabric. Any stools were smashed to bits. The coals of the fireplace had been scattered along the ground. One of the bunk beds had been flipped and thrown over the guardrail onto the ground floor. A pot belly stove had been ripped from the wall, and lay sideways, with its coals similar pulled out. Long scratches ran down the walls, carving into the wood of the cabin.

And on counter, was the book Thomas had lost. Gabriel picked it up, and flipped it open. The pages had been ripped and torn at, and random letters were carved into some pages. Thomas looked around, and saw the open door. Taking his flashlight, he peered into the downstairs cellar sort of area. The smell of rotting wood and flesh wafted up, but Thomas barely smelled it.

"Thomas-" Began Olivia, but she didn't finish. Ana stepped forward and put a hand on Thomas's shoulder, and froze. The flashlight was on its widest setting, and its fairly dim glow revealed the cellar. The basement/cellar was wider, seemingly wider than the house itself. A dozen cages, ranging from dog cages to pet carriers, adorned the ground in a line. There was blood staining each cage. The stairs leading to the door Thomas had seen earlier had thick and black blood staining each step. A tub full of blood stains and tools sat at one corner. Another corner held a woman's body, brutally and effectively eviscerated. Her face held a scream, and she looked painfully thin. Knobby elbows, exposed ribs (whichever ones weren't broken) and barely any fat or muscle. Thomas began to walk down the stairs, and as he did more flashlights scanned the room. He stood in front of one of the smallest cages, sat next to a larger one. Then he turned away, exposing a previously unnoticed pile of bones. Most were splintered and chewed, the marrow sucked away from the inside.

'Arthur's in there.' Thomas thought. He stood in front of the bones, staring down at them. 'You always felt bad you could never bury him. well here he is. Here's his bones. And where yours should be.' Standing there Thomas simply sat down in front of them on his knees. He felt like he shouldn't, but he didn't want to move.

"Thomas?" It was Olivia, behind him. Thomas looked at the pile, and he really wanted to cry. Here was his brother. Here was the nightmares he'd been having. Maybe even Elizabeth's bones were in there somewhere. Trois Crocs had killed both of them. Thomas felt a hand grab his arm, and he let himself be led out o the basement into the main room. Everyone was piled back out, and measures were being taken. They would have to stay tonight, and tomorrow they were booking it for the first open ground they found and getting out of here. For now though the group began moving what furniture was left, using wet cloaks to block window and bookshelves over the doors. Olivia was sitting in a corner of the house with Thomas, who was unresponsive. He blinked, but he was sitting in the corner, knees hugged to his chest. Olivia was though. She was talking about any happy memories she could dredge up, but Thomas just kinda stared at the floor.

"What about that time in Germany! With that awesome beer ice cream. Remember?!" Thomas nodded slowly.

"Or when we-"

"Please. Stop." Said Thomas quietly. Olivia's shoulders fell and she frowned sadly.

"I- okay." She put one arm around him and leaned against his shoulder. Thomas lowered his face in his arms.

Later.

"Here's the food for today." Ana said, handing out granola bars, energy bars, individually wrapped snacks and water. As expected, the group was eating slowly, except Thomas. He hadn't moved at all all night, but during the night Ana had heard very hushed sniffling from him. Later at night, when the wind had died down and the rain stopped, heavy knocking was heard. Just three knock.

Bang

Bang

Bang

And the noise was deafening.

"KNOCK KNOCK!" Came the scratchy voice. The sound of nails against the wood accompanied the voice after he finished knocking.

"HELLLLOOOOO? FFFRRRIIEEENNNNDDDSSSSS? ARE YOU IN THEREEEEE? I CAN SMELLLLLL YOUUUUUU. IIIII HEAAARRRRR YOOOUUUU!" A braking laugh was heard, like a yelping dog and a screaming man.

"Little pig little pig, won't you let me come in? Noooooo? Well then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll knock the house down. This little piggy made his house out of GLASS!" A human fist punched through the window, not revealing who was outside, but sending glass shards all along the floor. It's flesh seemed to be falling and rotting off. Ana, Angela and Thomas were upstairs, weapons trained at searching for any shot. The rest of the group was on the ground, shoulder to shoulder, ready to fire into the darkness. The hand retreated.

"And he gobbled the little piggy up! Little pig little pig, won't you let me come in? Nooooooo? Well then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll knock this house down. This little piggy made his house out of WOOD!" And a new hole appeared, punched directly through the wood in an explosion of splinters.

"And! He! Gobbled! The! Little! Piggy! UPPPP! AND HE HUFFED, AND HE PUFFED, AND HE BLEW THE LITTLE PIGGY'S HOUSE DOWN!" The door and blocking bookshelf were pushed outward, and a man landed on the broken and unhinged door. He was tall, easily eight foot, and he was skinny. But he looked like a wall of bristling muscle. At the same time he seemed to be... rotting. He was bald and hairless and naked, but he had no penis or vagina. His skin was white, like an albino. He glared around, yellow eyes glowing with hatred, before setting the gaze on Thomas.

"Ahhh. Little piggy. I found you." And his skin began sloughing off, exposing the rotting muscle and causing his face to twist and contort. "Le'me put on somethin' more... comfortable." His voice changed in pitch, snarls and growls sounding out as he spoke. He bent over, and yowled. His arms grew longer and twisted. His knees bent inwards and claws grew off his fingers. He fell forward, panting and whining. Then he looked up, deer like snout twitching softly as his lips curled into a sneering smile.

"That'ssssss better. No?" He pushed off the ground with a powerful leap, splintering the door and shattering the guardrails of the stairs as he went through them. When the splinters hit Thomas's face he ran. Pure terror fueled him, and he jumped out towards a beam. But this creature was faster. It grabbed Thomas's leg, causing him to fall mid jump. Thomas his the ground with a loud crack and lay still. The creature felt a bullet hit his skin and spun around, knocking Ana into a bed with such force that the bed's post cracked. Angela fired her own weapon at the beast, and its laser rounds burned the creatures skin. It responded in kind with a backhand that knocked Angela to the ground. From below the scattered soldiers began to fire, and the creature fell upon them with vigor. It grabbed Lena, throwing her through a window and kicked Olivia down the stairs into the basements. Jason and Gabriel both fired devastatingly accurate rounds at the beast, and great sprays of blood hit the walls with seemingly no effect.

The creatures mad and power hungry cackles were stopped when it heard a click and the sound of a small object hitting the ground. Gabriel was holding a special type of grenade. One that, if activated, would turn everything for ten meters in all directions into a fine ash. Recognizing it, the creature smiled.

"Escalationnnnn. Iiiii likeee it." The creature let out a loud, ear piercing howl that almost forced Gabriel to drop the grenade. He felt like scissors were in his ears, trying to widen his ear canal and get at his brain. Then a gun was put to his head, the frigid metal barrel sticking to his skin.

"I would deactivate that. Now." Came a voice. Fareeha and Jason both turned when they heard the voice, and saw that there was a soldier in every window, and several in the doorway or in the room.

"I don't ask twice." Said the man. He was about six foot tall, with a clean face and a bald head. He was black, and his face was wracked with scars, with a long one winding down his square chin. When Gabriel still didn't move, the man nodded, and a soldier in the window shot Fareeha in the chest. She gasped, and stumbled backwards. Jason grabbed her before she hit the ground, immediately putting pressure on the wound. It hit her shoulder, and probably missed anything vital. Three soldiers rushed upstairs to get Ana and Angela, both of which were still incapacitated from there impacts with the furniture. Olivia and Lena were gathered as well as Thomas. The soldiers belonging to the unknown faction pushed everyone on their knees, guns to the back of there heads. Angela was allowed to treat the bullet wound, but with three different guns pointed at her. Everybody was searched quickly with an effective pat down. They took everyone's weapons and knives and various explosives. The monster that had incapacitated the group was staring at Thomas, salivating and grunting happily. Then a man walked in.

He had a silky bathrobe on, with a thick coat underneath. He was very fit, and muscles bulged under the clothing. He had a full brown beard, and buzz cut brown hair. His stark blue eyes scanned the room, taking in everything in a single cast gaze. He briefly met Gabriel's eye, and smiled at him. He had perfect teeth, and a square set jaw. His pointy nose twitched in thinly veiled dissatisfaction at the stench of the room. He wiped his nose, sniffled, and spoke in a thick and rich voice.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Maverick, and I will be your captor today."


	26. Mason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spent a long time researching how to make a good villain. I hope you like it. It's amazing how many people have bookmarked and given kudos. Thanks for reading people, enjoy!
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> If their are spelling errors be lenient plz. Thanks.
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> Also Also, I'm changing Thomas's height again. I know I've done it before. He started like 5'11 then he was five'8 now I want him five '6. At the moment he's almost five foot seven inches. I want him shorter because I'm going to make a bunch of smutty, fluffy, wholesome and kinky chapters in the future after this whole story arc wraps up. I feel theirs way to much plot for this little porn, and you guys deserve the smut you wanted when you clicked this story. Enjoy

Later

Everyone was stripped of weapons and anything they brought with them and were forced into handcuffs and ankle cuffs with chains attached. The old kind of handcuffs, the metal ones that you had to brute force or magic your way out of. Everyone was marched or dragged for about an hour before coming upon a cave that they were led down. The passage of time was only monitored by Ana, Gabriel and Jason. They counted approximately four hours of walking down a steep incline, before the group came upon a large door. One soldier walked forward and tapped a rhythmic pattern. Tap tap tap quickly, then two short taps and a third when he banged his fist against the door. A hole opened up, and out come an arm. A robotic one, carrying a camera. It moved slowly, creaking and catching a loose wiring that dangled from before the hand, it was a left one, gave a thumbs up then retracted into the door. A dreadful creaking, like a thousands fingernails and forks against fine plates was heard, and the door slid into the walls. A half dozen soldiers stepped out, laughing and cheering and speaking a number of various languages. They hugged and several kissed a returning member, and the group was brought inside.

They were brought through a dingy room with cheerful looking soldiers before being brought to a large elevator, capable of holding several large buses from the looks of it, and the group began to descend for several minutes.

The inside cavern was well lit, with catwalks and beams and pipes and wires scattered several stories above the ground. Soldiers cheered and shook their fists at the returning soldiers, and their leaders. Mason waved and blew kisses at the crowd, gesturing at the prisoners and smiling. He embraced one soldiers, and rattled a conversation in French faster than Ana or Gabriel could track before sending him away. A number of small and large doors led to unknown rooms, but a large door led into a sort of vehicle hanger. Inside of which, a gas monkey's dream was laid out. Several dozen wrecks of varying status sat on one side. Sparks and flames were seen coming from various direction, and people covered in various engine fluids dragged parts to the other side of the hanger. The other side boasted mostly intact vehicles. At least intact from a Mad Max point of view. Some of the vehicles looked mostly new. There were two jeeps that Gabriel recognized from a military vehicle expo two years ago that were British made. Ana saw a couple of old M1 Abrams, a tank the U.S.A. used in the early twenty first century, and a dozen jeeps with American and German writing on the side. Some had guns mounted on the sides.

A pervasive stench of motor oil and tar wafted through the air, somewhat reminiscent of Torbjorn's workshop if in an altered state. As the prisoners trudged by workers stopped to jeer at them or praise Mason. And Mason ate it up. He hugged people, hoisted up various tools and shouted encouragement. Somewhere he even procured a child, which he proceeded to kiss on the cheek to the thunderous applause of everyone in the room. The child even grabbed for him when he handed him back to his father. Within minutes the prisoners were loaded onto a bus. This one had bullet proof windows and was long enough to fit everyone inside. The prisoners were shackled to the seats, and everyone exchanged glances. Small movements of the leg and hand told them they were not to try and break out. So rather they decided to watch the view outside the window.

Three jeeps, all with guns mounted, followed the bus. Maverick rode shotgun in one. Another set of doors, this one larger and more imposing as well as quieter to open opened to reveal a large expanse of green and yellow and brown. Entire forests worth of trees spread over rolling hills. Gentle streams ran through the woods, flowing with crystal clear water into ponds that had small piers and fisherman on it. A paved road ran its way through the woods and wove around the hills. Several dozen stories above the forest was a series of long lights. That high up it was hard to tell, but as the bus ran on it looked like some lights went on and off, giving the illusion of sunlight. As the bus drove through the forest dozens of people were seen. White and Black and Asian. Tall and short. The only truly common features, was that they all were wearing ratty clothes, and were all very thin. Dangerously so. So as the bus drove closer to a small town with a few dozen buildings it was a bigger shock what the town looked like.

Driving through the streets they saw the sense of patriotism was not equitably shared by the people. Dozens of soldiers were moving groups of civilians to various positions. Some soldiers were dragging people out of a burning building, throwing them onto the concrete. Anyone who ran was shot. As the bus rounded a corner they saw a man and woman being aimed at by two soldiers, while a third check a tablet and held the hand of a screaming child who was trying to get back to his parents. The man looked at the two soldiers and gestured at them. The two soldiers then proceed to shoot the man and woman. The man fell backwards as two shots hit his chest, and the woman hit the pavement on her knees as three rounds went into her stomach, and then collapsed as a fourth hit the top of her head. The child, who couldn't be older than three, was released by the soldiers and ran to his now dead parents, screaming and crying and tugging his mother's arm.

In another area they watched as people in a line so long it went backwards and around a building. The people were being dragged onto a rasped platform and put into a noose. A woman would read off something from a paper, the platform would drop and the person would dangle from their neck as they struggled to breathe, and were then shot by four soldiers who were lined up. The body was then raised up, the noose removed, and thrown backwards into a growing pile of bodies. As the bus turned the prisoners watched as a teenager, no older than sixteen, was dragged up to the platform to meet a similar fate. In another area a building was smoking, only instead of being dragged out onto the concrete anyone who left the building was shot on sight, and left to bleed out on the ground. Then they left the city. and out rolled the hills and the forests. These trees grew even taller than the first ones, and they seemed greener as well. The next city was cleaner and bigger. And the fact there were no mass executions going on helped. The people here were similarly thin and poor looking, but they walked about, waving and cheering the convoy. Despite the fact they could clearly hear the gunshots not two miles away they moved like nothing was wrong. Several times while they were driving the prisoners saw people getting stopped by soldiers on the streets. One woman was punch and handcuffed before being dragged away.

The rest of the ride followed suit. Miles of lush forest and rolling hills and crystal clear blue water followed by mostly clean cities and the occasional human rights violation thrown in. The ride silence seemed oppressive, but the screams that pierced it were more so.

Two hours later.

Why a subterranean city that was more habitable than the surface ever was was built in the middle of nowhere and never put on any records, maps or forms Ana did not know. What she did know, was that whoever did it was a very big fan of eastern medieval architecture. The fortress, a word which doesn’t truly describe, was massive. The cavern already stretch for miles before the great stone that were laced with metal beams, and a 15 meter tall black wall connected both sides of the cavern. The wall had something in it that caused light to shine and reflect and sparkle.

A shining rivers ran up the walls, seemingly dipping underneath it. The ground within 50 meters of the wall was cleared, and the hills ran up to the walls at a steep incline. This gave it a sense of imposing grandeur. An overwhelming force that drove a spike of fear into even Gabriel. At the top of the wall were jagged spikes, pointed up, down and outwards. They interlaced and created hundreds of small holes that you could stick the barrel of a gun through and create the perfect murder hole. An imposing Gate with two towers, one on either side, loomed up ahead. At the top of the two towers, each going about half as high as the fortress behind it, were two painting of Mason’s face. Each one had glittering emeralds, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and nearly any other stone that shone like the sun attached to his smiling effigy.

The gates were dark black, matching the rest of the wall in its imposing grandeur. They opened outwards as the convoy drove forward, swinging soundlessly outwards, revealing the full towering structure behind the wall.

The fortress rose and seemed to grow taller, and for the first time in a long time Ana felt truly intimidated. Large pointed spires rose high above a main rectangular buildings, forming a pentagon. Ana focused, her eye zooming in on the towers. She spotted at least a dozen people at any given point at the towers. From what she could see a main staircase ran up the towers, with doors leading off the platforms that held various items. Some had large crates, others guns that resembled old self propelled artillery from the 20th century.

The approach to the fortress was long and winding, continuing up the hills steep incline and watching the fortress grow taller and taller, seemingly smiling at the approaching vehicles. As the gate to the fortress itself lowered it gave the distinct feeling of being swallowed by some large creature. The inside of the fortress rose for stories above, with dozens of crossing catwalks and staircases and elevators. People bustled about, paying no attention to the vehicles approaching. Paths led across the ground and to various doors, each path laced with precious stones and various bits of shiny metal statues that resembled nothing in particular dotted along. Far up ahead were great metal arches adorned with lengths of shining ribbons. Even that high up people crawled across the ceiling like ants and performed various tasks. Hundreds of armed guards patrolled, congesting the whole system and randomly stopping citizens.

A commotion was caused on one walkway, and a loud scream was heard before a splat. A man had tripped and fallen off one walkway, as they all lacked guardrails, and connected with the ground in a great shower of red and pink meat. People swarmed the corpse, immediately gathering the bits and pieces to be taken away to some unknown place. This entrance building ran for at least a quarter mile, before they exited into a town. This town was shiny, made of metal and plastic and tall buildings. Some went up several stories, seemingly stunted by the height of the fortress.

The vehicles took a left, going along a road and taking another left into the fortress again. This tunnel run upwards in a cylindrical pattern. Eventually the bus rolled to a stop, and all the guards stood up at once. The prisoners were taken and somewhat freed, enough to walk, and were then led out the bus and into a hallway. This part of the fortress was more practical. It held few decorations, being sparse in it's color and decor. A handful of potted plants, most looking dreadful, sat by the numerous windows. The group came upon a t intersection, and a guard grabbed Thomas’s shoulder and tugged him to the left.

Seeing his chance Thomas ducked to the right, swung his left foot and pushed hard backwards. This took the guards by surprise, and in an instant Thomas was behind the guard, the handcuffs chain around the guards neck. For a single murderous second nobody moved or spoke, until a deep laugh was heard.

“Bravo Thomas! That is the fire I remember. Armed and dangerous, audacious, stupendous!” Declared Mason, waving his hands dramatically. Then he produced a pistol from his bathrobes.

“Of course such a drastic act deserves recompense. If you don’t release my guard I will shoot, uh, eni meni mini mo, her!” He pointed the gun at Olivia.

“I believe she is important to you.” He turned his head to Thomas, who smiled.

“I’m a guide. As long as they live I get paid. That’s it.” Mason’s smile fell.

“Come now Thomas.” He pulled the trigger, a blue laser hitting Olivia in the stomach. She fell to her knees, gasping in pain and using her hands to cover the wound.

“I would have thought you’d be a better liar by now. Now release my soldier. Or I kill her.” Said Mason, pointing the gun at Olivia again. Seeing no other choice Thomas unwound the handcuff chain from the soldiers throat. He then pushed the soldiers forward, and when Mason went to catch the soldier Thomas leapt at Mason.

Realizing his mistake Mason stepped backwards, letting the soldier drop down onto the ground and catching Thomas’s fist. He shook his head and tsked before twisting the arm. Recognizing the move Thomas kicked with his foot, catching Mason’s knee hard. Now even flinching the man tugged Thomas towards him, almost putting him in a headlock. Thomas twisted his body free, partially because Mason lat him. Mason lashed out with his own kick, hitting Thomas in the chest with a thunk.

“Mind the feet Thomas.” He said quietly. Thomas summoned his hammer, twisting the chain until it broke and gave him use of his arm. Mason, in response, drew a knife. It was small, only about four inches, and he used a reverse grip. Smiling, he gave Thomas the kung fu two finger ‘come here’ gesture, making a ‘hooowahhh’ noise and smiling. Throwing the hammer and jumping forward Thomas began his attack. The guards, knowing better than to interfere in the bosses fights, stayed back, keeping the rest of the group in check.

Thomas foght well, and he managed to flip Mason over, but Mason rolled, lashing out with an elbow. It hit Thomas’s knee, bringing him down onto it. Thomas grabbed Mason’s fist, pulling him over. Mason, as he fell, put a hand out, catching himself and pushing off the ground. This forced Thomas to release his grip, and as Thomas turned around Mason punched Thomas in the nose. It didn’t break the bone, but it hurt and Thomas saw stars. Stepping forward Mason grabbed Thomas’s shirt, tossing the knife aside and punched Thomas twice. Thomas caught the third, and headbutt as hard as he could. Mason’s head bucked backwards, and he got up, grabbing his forehead.

“Fuck! That’s my move! You took that from me! And you did it-” He grabbed Thomas’s shirt collar, hoisting him up. “WRONG!” And he headbutt Thomas hard, forehead connecting hard to the bridge of his nose. Amazingly nothing was broken, but Thomas felt woozy. Mason tossed him aside, and Thomas landed, spread eagle, on the ground. Not quite unconscious but incoherent. Mason collected his knife and walked forward, brandishing the knife.

“And now, since I couldn’t teach you the nice way, all your friends get to see what losers like you get.” But before he could Gabriel spoke.

“Don’t.” It was quiet, more of a growl than a word, but it stopped Mason. Mason looked at Gabriel briefly, and smiled. He collected Thomas, again by his shirt collar, hoisting him off the ground with one hand.

“Don’t what? Don’t hurt him? He brought it on himself. What will happen if he doesn’t learn?” Gabriel glared holes into Mason, who smiled and nodded.

“I get it. You care about him. I get why.” He dropped Thomas and pointed at two guards. “Take him to the tallest room of the tallest tower, and put a dragon there!” The two guards looked at each other, confused and scared. Mason sighed and put his hand to his head.

“Get the flamethrower, and lock Thomas up. Not in that order. Come on guys I got a thing going.” The two nodded and collected Thomas, dragging him by the arms. Mason watched them go down the corridor, then turned to the rest of the group. Angela had finished binding Olivia stomach, and Ana helped her up, letting the younger woman lean on her.

“Now then, to my office!” And he walked ahead of the group, who was lead into his room.

It was colorful. Like a crayon box vomited. The walls were yellow ocher, and the floors were blue and the ceiling bright red. Weapons hung from hooks and racks on the wall. And not guns, melee weapons. Spears, axes, bucklers, hooks. But also on the wall were pictures. Lots of pictures, of dozens of different people. Men and women of all ethnicity and colors and heights and weights. Red hand prints dotted the walls with the pictures. Some big, some small as a child’s. The group was sat down in the chairs, and a woman came in, pressing a box with a sloppy red X into Angela’s hand.

“For your friend. Make it quick, don’t try anything.” Angela nodded and took it, gathering what she needed and going to Olivia. Mason smiled and sat in his large, fluffy looking chair, spinning three times in it before settling into looking at the group. He scanned the faces. Worry, fear, fury. All the good ones.

"I do hope you are all comfortable. It was dreadful miscommunication with our business associates that saw such fearful tactics be used. And I do apologize about your daughter being shot. I had hoped to take in Thomas quietly, but Trois Crocs can be overly aggressive." He looked across them. Most of them had brave faces on, but he saw several who actually weren’t afraid of him. A smile spread across his lips.

“Now then. As you are all surely aware all of you are worth large amounts of money. Very large amounts of money. To Talon in particular. I think a few hundred million for the lot. After, package sets are worth so much more. And in near mint condition. Guards! Let them go.” Everyone blinked. Even Gabriel. The guards shifted a little, looking at each other. Mason looked out among them.

“Well? Let them go! Or better, give them a meal first, then let go. Or maybe not I don’t really care the important part is they end up out there and not in here! And double the watch on the borders! And call Trevor! I want to thank him. And someone get me a fruit that comes from a bush.” Gabriel heard the name and spoke.

“Trevor? The guy from the settlement?” Mason nodded.

“Oh yeah. He did quite well. Can’t believe you fell for that though. A settlement overrunning us. Right. Those idiots tried to rise up. They went up and up, and then we push them off the mountain. Then they went downnnn. Anyway yeah. I knew you were coming here you should have listened to Thomas about Daniel. Really. You should have. Now leave. Go. I don’t want you here.” He made a shoeing motion with his hands and spun in his chair, looking at the wall with the pictures on it. After a moment he sighed.

“Now please!” And the guards jumped, grabbing the prisoners and pulling them away. When the room was cleared and only one guard remaining the man stepped forward.

“Maverick Sir? Are you sure it’s a good idea to let them go? Won’t they try to get Thomas?” He asked. Mason nodded.

“Of course they will. And they will succeed in their endeavor. They will escape. They will find out we have the information they seek in our data banks. They will take it. They will move on. Just as I want them to.” The man nodded slowly. Mason looked at him, meeting his gaze for several moments before making another shoeing hand motion. The guard nodded and practically ran out the room. Thirty minutes later

"I must say it's good to see you again Thomas. It's been a long time." Thomas looked up at Mason, who was peering in through the bars of the cage. Thomas was sitting in the corner, scratching vainly at the brick with his hammer, watching the small grains drop to the floor in a minuscule pile. The room itself was dull as a slab of concrete and small. The cell had a filthy toilet and a metal bed frame that lacked a mattress. A small bookshelf with ratty books adorned a corner. The concrete floor was stained red, and the only way out was a door that led to the staircases and a window that looked over an uninhabited section of the massive cavern. The window overlooked a field that led to the fortress, and as the hill steeply cut upwards rocks jutted out. 

"Not very talkative. I understand. I wouldn't be either. It is truly good to see you though. I had heard that Father and Mother had been killed by their experiments. I didn't think you'd live though. So imagine my surprise, when I see that you survived. And then when you betray that trust. I'm not mad, just so you know. For the part you played in trying to kill me-"

"Still playing that game Mason?" Mason smiled.

"Play to win. We always knew how. Anyway, where was I? Trying to kill me. I let you into my nation. My home. With my people. And you betrayed us. And when you failed, you ran. Like a coward. And that always was the difference between us. You lost your family, you lost everything. I lost my brother, my only family. I lost everything. And what did you do? You wallowed. You hid. I made an empire when my brother died. You cried like a baby and become a crazy young recluse. YOU LEFT!" He screamed, hitting the bars hard. Thomas jerked his head up, surprised. Mason's smile grew.

"I hope you like the books." He gestured at the bookshelf. "You will be here for a while. I tried to tailor the room to your liking. Truly. Of course, you may not be here long either. It's up to you." He turned away as if to leave when Thomas spoke.

"So what? You come here to make me feel bad? Why come here at all?" Mason looked at him.

"I wanted to see you again. You will be going into the rings soon. I wanted to see you in case you died. I do wonder how long you will last, or if you will beg." He turned, and Thomas spoke again. Ana would have a plan to get him. He had to buy time.

"So what's the plan? You have an empire. You're expanding. What now? Content to consolidate. Designate an heir?" Mason shook his head.

"Thomas, do you know why I let your 'friends' go? Because when all this is over the world needs them to pick up the scarred tissue. Now, let me take this moment to explain my entire plan. The basics though, since I have somewhere to be, and clearly so do you, I'll make it brief. I escaped with my brother Maverick from Father and Mother. We made something of ourselves. Then Maverick died. We fought of course. A lot. Why do you think that so few people knew about me? He was... he was the only one I could truly count on. Even when we fought we always had each other's backs. Throughout every test and trial that our parents put us through, we had each other. Do you remember how Arthur would patch your scars? You know the ones. On your back. From the knives. And the whips. You remember how they hurt. And Arthur would help you. He would take those little sewing kits and stitch the wounds and staunch the bleeding and get you to stop crying. That's what Maverick." Mason shrugged off the blue bathrobe he wore. Just his forearms were visible. They were marked with dozens of deep and angry scars. Some were like Thomas's deep and angry and still in contrast with the white skin. Others were older and lighter or had healed better. But there were dozens. Mason quickly re-donned his blue bathrobe.

"Was to me. And now he's gone. And here I am. And maybe I'm telling you to feel better. Maybe I just want to let people into the little secret. Maybe, you're the only living person who was involved in this, and that means if I want revenge I have to kill you. I don't care. I just am. We aren't that different Thomas. This, this cold place that ignores us and our suffering. I saw it's true colors. Or, technically, they were revealed to me." Thomas began laughing quietly, a gentle chuckle that becomes deep laughs.

"What? Do you think you're The Joker? Do you want to see the world's true colors? Be a knockoff D.C. villain?" Mason nodded.

"Maybe. It would be an excellent title. D.C. villain. But no. I'm not the Joker. I don't care about the worlds true colors. I just saw them. When I was kidnapped, the world abandoned me. When we escaped, I realized the world abandons that which is ugly. Think about it. We avoid eye contact with the impoverished. We ignore that which isn't pleasant to look at. They ignored us, Thomas. What was it like being homeless? Destitute? Being kicked by strangers for no other reason than you couldn't afford to have a home protecting you. Being mocked and laughed at. Told to scram just because your so hungry you would beg on your knees for any scrap of food they would spare. Didn't it dig into your skin, itching and scratching to get out. The worlds true colors, I know... and I don't care. I never want you, or myself, or anyone to have to suffer like we have. Think about it. You love history. What happened after ww1? What happened to the world?” Thomas shrugged.

“I don’t fucking know. Be specific. And no one said you would be asking me so many questions, is this a monologue or a lecture.” Mason shook his head disapprovingly.

“No respect. No respect for the process. You called me a D.C. villain, this is my monologue. Let me have my fun! It’s the League of Nations. World unity, all that shit. But then, ww2, NATO The Comintern. The Cold War. World Unity, out the window. And now, the Omnic Crisis. ww3. There’s no more major communist powers, they all collapsed. World democracy. Yet, no world unity. Why? Because the wrong people died in the Omnic Crisis. The good people. The brave and honorable. Like your brother. He wasn’t supposed to die. Like my brother.” Mason paused for a moment.

“Hard Times, create Strong Men Thomas. But not this time. Once I’m done, the world will have gone through ww4. But it will have ended, with a unified people, moving onwards.” Thomas stared at him, his face soft and.

“And your final goal? When everything’s done?” Mason looked at Thomas with a similar sad look.

“When I’m done, their will be peace.” The staring contest was broken when a women walked in. She had short brown hair in a bun at the top of her head and was very short.

"Uh, Maverick, the reports you wanted came in." Mason nodded happily and stepped forward, taking several papers and nodding to himself.

"Very good Alice. And uh, why did you come here?” She looked at Thomas and back at Mason.

“You said you wanted them immediately. N-no matter what…” Mason nodded.

“And what did you hear here?" Alice glanced at Thomas again.

"Uh, n-not much. Something about uh, Mason. And uh, scars." She was shaking, visibly terrified. Her fingers twitched and her body trembled. Mason nodded.

"I thought so." He pulled a page and began reading, not looking as he drew a gun and shot Alice in the head. She fell, her blood staining the already red ground. Mason shook his head sadly.

"See what you make me do Thomas? I liked her." He shook his head again and set down the papers, grabbing one of Alice's legs and dragging her across the ground. He peered out the window, opened it, and hoisted the body up and out of it. The body disappeared quickly, falling upon the rocky precipice below. Mason watched distantly as her limbs were torn apart by the power of multiple direct impacts on the rocks. Mason glanced at Thomas.

"Of course" He continued. "If you are comparing me with The Joker, then maybe it's correct. After all, 'It's not about money, it's about leaving a message. Everything burns.'” He chuckled to himself. “Good luck Thomas." He Winked at Thomas as gathered his papers and backed out of the room.

Same time.

The expedition was shoved out of the fortress, quite literally shoved out. A man looked out at them, crumpled on the ground after it was removed from under them.

“Have fun here Overwatch!” And the floor slid shut again. They’d been dumped in some sort of alleyway, and the fortress was nearby. Closer was a large open space with market stalls and the general hum of humanity. Above them the long tube lights had shifted there position, coming close to what was probably the underground equivalent of night. Ana was the first person off the ground, dusting herself off as best she could. Jason and Angela were next, but everyone else in the group was slow to get up. Jason helped Fareeha and Olivia up, and Olivia spoke with a panic in her voice.

“What’s the plan?” She asked, staring at Ana. Ana looked at her, then at several other members of the group.

“There isn’t one. We just need to get away from here, and think of something.”

“But Thomas is in there. You know what they’ll do to him!” Ana nodded.

“I know Olivia, but for now w-”

“BUT NOTHING! HE DIDN’T EVEN WANT TO COME! YOU FORCED HIM TO AND NOW HE’S GONE AND YOU’RE JUST GONNA LEAVE HIM!” She shouted. Ana saw the tears in her eyes, and didn’t respond, staring at Olivia. She broke the stare after a moment, and Ana saw the tears running down her cheek. Fareeha stepped forward and hugged her, speaking with her.

“It’s not the time Olivia. We won’t leave him.” She turned to Ana. “Right?” Fareeha wished it sounded less like a question and more like a statement. Ana nodded.

“Of course. We are not going to leave him. But we need to go, for now.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's gory. The fluff will resume in the next chapter. Heartwarming fluffiness. Then the smut will pick up again. Thanks to everyone who puts up with the spelling mistakes and the sudden increase in plot rather than porn. I really like this story, and I find myself daydreaming when I should be working about what to do next. Maybe when the story is done i'll right a continuation about married Thomas in civilian life. Or maybe another action pack thriller about an older Thomas who still loves getting completely fucked and dominated by a loving older man. Who knows. Enjoy.

Thomas stood on a platform, feeling it move as it carried him up. He'd heard today was the junkyard day, but he wasn't sure. What he did know is that he'd seen a lot of bodies that had been mauled and chewed being dragged through the prep cells where they kept contestants. That meant a monster, something small and certainly deadly. The elevator stopped, and a hatch in front of him opened. It was definitely the junkyard, and as the excited screams of spectators arranged in stands several meters above the arena reached Thomas, and the light of the stadium pierced his eyes he knew it wouldn't be a fun day. Metal beams, twisted and rusted and in some areas charred or stained red and black rose out of the ground. They rose high off the ground, probably around ten meters. The metal crisscrossed and created unstable looking bridges and platforms. Various forms of medieval melee weapons were strapped to the top of the towers and beams and pylons. On the ground Thomas spotted cleverly placed mesh, probably covering pitfalls. It was sufficiently camouflaged that in the heat of battle you would step on it and die before you even realized. Similarly he saw pools of some sort of yellow bubbling fluid on the ground, usually located underneath the unstable platforms. Piles of junk were littered around, any piece would make a decent bludgeon or shield. That made things difficult. 

Thomas knew that their would have to be more than four, but for the moment he could see just two women to his left, and a child to his right. The two women both looked about mid twenties, but the child couldn't be older than 11. He looked around, plain terror in his immature face. Thomas felt a twitch to protect him, but knew that he couldn't. Not openly at least. A loud alarm was heard, and the it was time to fight. Thomas ran to the first metal tower, beginning to climb it. As he did so he noticed one of the women following him. She had collected a rather sharp looking piece of twisted metal, and was holding it in one hand as she climbed towards Thomas. The look in her eyes was near feral, and her twisted nappy frazzled hair stuck out in all directions. It reminded Thomas of Medusa. She even hissed at him like a snake when they made eye contact. That put a some more movement in Thomas's exhausted body.

Three days. That's how long he'd been here. They kept him locked in a new cell after Mason's first visit. It was always dark their, and counting numbers to pass the time didn't work the same way it had in Talon. It also didn't help that he hadn't been fed at all, or given any water in these last few days. He felt the pressure in head building up. He was dehydrated. Badly. He had maybe two days to find something to drink, and licking the stone walls for any bit of dampness wasn't cutting it.

Finally reaching the top of the tower Thomas pulled himself up and took off, moving across the metal bridge by jumping to whatever bits of metal looked the least likely to break. And he made it about halfway before a piece of metal broke. Thomas felt his body begin to fall, and summoned his hammer. He caught a piece of rope, and when it bent to accommodate his weight he swing his legs hard. The hammer disappeared and Thomas caught a piece of metal, feeling its cold touch bite into his hand. He winced but began to climb again. A sort of angry howl was heard, and Thomas saw the woman was moving across the metal bridge towards his tower. She really had it out for him.

Again pulling himself up in time he grabbed a piece of metal just before he saw the woman's twisted barb swinging down towards him. Bringing his own impromptu sword up he managed to angle away the powerful strike. Another strike came in, then another. Both missed by a narrow margin. Thomas's swing however did not. It connected with the women's head, but Thomas slipped. He looked up again at the women, only to see that his strike had connected with the women's eye. It had burst, and blood flowed down her face. She was saying something, and took a step backwards. The air seemed to rush around her and grab her, pulling her backwards off the tower. Her body flipped fully once before landing in one of the pit traps. It was filled with upwards pointing metal fragments, and when Thomas took a peak over he saw her still struggling form, with metal sticking out from her above her breasts, through her abdomen and her leg. She tried to raise her head once, then let it loll backwards, settling with blood leaking out of her eye, mouth and nose.

Thomas watched for a moment, his trance broken by an axe going alarming close by his nose. Thomas fell backwards, looking to the right to see what was out there. A man on another tower swore loudly and grabbed an additional axe off the ground. He hurled it at Thomas, who crouched down to let it pass overhead. It didn't make it over him, rather it impaled itself into the metal tower. The other man swore again, pointed at Thomas, and began climbing down. When Thomas felt the tower shift he decided he should get off before it collapsed under him. Thomas began climbing down, and he grabbed the axe that was lodged into the tower by the handle on his way down. About half way down he felt the tower shift dramatically. A piece of metal fell, forcing Thomas to dangle by a single piece of jutting metal as metal slid off the top of the now leaning tower of metal.

Releasing his grip Thomas fell the final twenty feet, landing without injury and immediately getting swung at by a different man. This one wielded a sharper more medieval sword than Thomas's. It wasn't unlike the one Talon had forced him to use to duel omnics and kill people, and Thomas felt a ping of regret at how quickly he had abandoned the weapon when he first could. It was probably still in the armory, and for a moment Thomas let his guard slip. He thought about the times he had dueled with Genji, or sparred with it. A ping of sentiment towards the weapon was felt. Thomas had used it well, and even though he had resented having to use it it was still awesome to be able to act like some bad-ass superhero. The though of Overwatch, of how much had changed in these last few months distracted him further. Thomas refused to tell them anything he knew, but he honestly doubted that anyone was coming back. Olivia was a sister to him, but she was like him in many ways. She had had a family, and lost it in the omnic crises. Now she had a family again, and he didn't blame her for not wanting to come back.

Gabriel he felt cared about him, but he cared about Jason and Fareeha and Lena and everyone. He wouldn't risk it. Ana... how much did she care about him. He'd thought about it a lot. Aside from Jesse and anyone he already knew, Ana was the one he was closest to. She'd talked to him... honestly she made him feel like a person again. Made him feel smart, and talented. Complemented his art, asked him for his help. Told him he was worth something. How much of it was true? How much was her actually caring about him, and how much was her ensuring that he wouldn't run away. Carefully orchestrated events to build trust and dependence. To gain his use as a soldier and a weapon. It wasn't true. It couldn't be. But it made sense.

Finally during this truly inconvenient time to be reminiscing he thought of Jesse. He missed the way Jesse made Thomas feel. Whenever he felt sad or worthless Jesse would hold him and whisper about how talented or amazing he is. He would tell Thomas bad jokes and speak in an overly thick southern accent until Thomas was laughing again. Then Jesse would kiss Thomas and tell him he had the most beautiful laugh. Thomas wanted to make Jesse feel the same way Jesse made Thomas feel, and the thought he would never see Jesse again made tension appear in his chest. All this thought meant that the blade had been swinging slowly towards him as he thought. The sudden spike of pain as the metal began piercing the skin of his side. Thomas let himself fall to the side, allowing the blade to be taken out of him by the man's own swing. Ignoring the spiking burning pain in his side Thomas fell onto his hand, swinging his leg up and jumping to the side. His foot connected with the man's jaw and Thomas finished his flip, landing on his feet and dashing forward. The man was still recovering from both his swing and the kick as he raised his sword to block Thomas's axe. He couldn't raise it enough, and Thomas's axe sunk into his wrist, piercing through the flesh into the bone of his wrist. He screamed and released the blade, grabbing Thomas's arm to try and halt the swing. Thomas grabbed his wrist before he could, and for a brief moment a battle of strength took place. Thomas was strong, but the six foot tall two hundred pound man had more raw power.

Thomas twisted the man's wrist away, and the man managed to brake Thomas's hold. His swung to meet Thomas, who narrowly blocked it with his arm. With a tremendous roar the man ripped his wrist free, formed a fist as strong as he could and punched Thomas. The hit was a surprise and as Thomas felt it the man brought his own leg up, connecting the kick with Thomas injured side. The blow caused Thomas to stumble and gasp in pain. The axe was lost in that moment, but Thomas grabbed the sword, He brought it up to try and stab the man, who angled the blow away just in time to not get impaled. It did cut his hand, and the reaction to pull his hand away condemned him. Thomas pulled the blade backwards, slashing across his enemies ribs. With the blade ready to strike and his opponent disorientated Thomas plunged it into his stomach, twisting and pulling it out and downwards. A burst of red and white fluid followed the blade, and the man fell to his knees. Thomas stepped back, raised the blade and plunged it downwards as the man looked up. The sword slipped down through his jaw and throat, slicing the esophagus in two and reaching down into his stomach. Twisting the blade and yanking it out the man vomited blood and stomach acid, his eyes rolling into his skull as he slumped backwards. Stepping away Thomas grabbed the handle of the axe and began to run. 

Arriving in the center arena Thomas saw the child that he'd seen earlier. He looked terrified, the wide eyes and open mouth screaming silently as blood leaked out of the slit in his throat. It slid into a growing puddle, mixing with the tears he'd cried before dying. Thomas heard the announcer speak.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! NOW THAT THE STIFFS ARE GONE WE CAN FULLY APPRECIATE THIS FIGHT! WE GOT AN ALLIANCE OF THE THREE, HUNTING THE HUNTER. HE CANNOT USE RANGED WEAPONS, SO HOW WILL HE TAKE THEM DOWN?" The crowd roared, an endless cacophony of screams and shouts and recommendations that sounded like noise. Shifting the weapons Thomas walked into the center of the arena, immediately catching the gaze of the other three survivors. There were two men and a women, all easily taller and heavier than him. They had a crowbar, baseball bat and a butchers knife respectively. And they all had big smiling faces. The man with the baseball bat pointed the weapons at him, and the women brought the knife to her neck, making a mock throat slitting motion. They advanced slowly, and Thomas kept his stance low, both weapons raised. Truthfully he had no idea how he was going to kill all of them, but just charging into them didn't feel like a good idea.

The three fighters spread out around him, various weapons held in a variety of stances, all ready to swing their weapons. They circled slowly, and Thomas kept still, his body low to the ground and ready to jump or dodge. He saw the tense before the strike and let himself go limp. All the swings had come from the sides, trying to hit him if he dodged it. Thomas ducked down, squatting low. They stopped before their swings hit each other, but Thomas swung his sword out at the women with the butchers knife. It connected with her waist, slashing through the skin easily. She stumbled backwards, fiery pain spouting like roots into her body. Taking his foot and pushing hard Thomas managed to awkwardly swing his body, his foot connecting with the crowbar and knocking it aside. The man kept his grip but he would need another few seconds to swing again. Thomas's axe was swung, lodging into the knee of the baseball bat wielding man. Pushing to his feet Thomas scrambled away, leaving the axe in the mans knee and bringing the sword up to block the second mans crowbar strike from above. Thomas hand rested near the end of the blade to keep it from bending from the force of the strike.

The sword shattered from the force of the swing, pieces of metal flying towards Thomas and cutting into the skin of his cheeks. Luckily none of it hit his eyes. His hand however was now bleeding though, but the adrenaline let the pain seem distant. Already swinging again from above Thomas sidestepped the swipe and brought the shattered sword, now more dagger, securely into the second man throat. He gagged and spat and cursed loudly, his swear soon turning into gurgles. Thomas pushed him away and he grabbed the sword, coughing and already convulsing. He stared at Thomas as he coughed, hatred seared into his features. Taking the crowbar Thomas stepped forward to the man with the axe in his knee. He was crying, holding his injured limb and sobbing as he tried to work the blade out. He looked at Thomas, terror running into his features as he cried out.

"WAIT! PLEASE! IT'S NOT PERSONAL I SWEAR! I-I-I I HAVE A HUSBAND!" He sobbed more intensely. "AND AND AND AND AND- TWO KIDS! PLEASE!" Thomas brought the crowbar to his shoulder and swung. The metal connected with the mans nose, shattering it and knocking him backwards. He let out a piercing cry and sobbed harder, grabbing his nose and begging.

"DON'T! I HAVE MONEY! GOD CONDEMNS MURDER! I'M PATHETIC, SAVE ME! DON'T KILL ME!" Thomas put a foot on his chest, yanking the axe free of its new sheath and raising it above his head. The man shook his head, struggling and trying to push Thomas's foot off him. It did nothing though, he could barely even find the limb through the blood and tears in his eyes. The axe swing landed squarely in his forehead, going through the bone and into his brain. He convulsed twice and went limp, fingers twitching. Pink fluid began to pool in his eyes and run out his ears in a slow stream. The woman, seeing this, got to her feet again and charged, butcher's knife raised above her head. Thomas stepped towards her, swinging his crowbar and knocking the knife aside. He swung his hammer at her, letting it connect with her temple. The force spun her around and a hard shove pushed her over. Stepping forward and planting his foot into the small of her back he raised the crowbar, swinging it into her temple before she could start begging. She screamed as he hit her the first time, and swung again. Then again. And again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

He swung until the bone of her skull gave in, and the pink fleshy chunks of brain splattered onto his pant legs. He swung until the strike went through he skull, smashing her face outwards into the ground and collapsing the skull. Finished he stepped backwards, examining the weapon in his hands. He'd managed to bend the metal inward on itself. Examining the carnage he noticed their was no sound in the arena. He looked around, and the crowd had gone silent. He scanned the faces quickly, on one hand hoping he saw someone he recognized, on the other dreading that moment for what he'd just done.

The crowd, stunned by this scene of events, began to wildly chant Thomas's title and scream their approval. He panted and looked about the stands. A handful of guards stepped out and aimed their guns at Thomas, gesturing towards the area where they came from. Back below the building. Thomas growled but began to walk there.

As he walked past a guard stomped his foot at Thomas and hit him in the shoulder with his gun. The response was a hammer landing and hitting his right eye, bursting it. The man fell backwards, screaming and holding his face. The barrel of a gun hit his chin, and he was shoved hard. A guard grabbed his shoulder and began walking him forward, the barrel pressed uncomfortably into his neck.

Same Time.

Ana was immensely grateful she'd convinced Olivia not to view the fights so far. The young women had avoided talking to Ana and most of the group. Without her speaking meals felt like a special apart had been lost. The lively chatter of young friends talking seemed to be a sign of living, rather than surviving. Without it Ana noticed a layer of life was absent. Ana also found herself missing Thomas dearly. He'd been very detached during the trip, often silent and almost never smiling. It reminded her too much of how she'd first met him. And now he was painfully close. And Ana had to watch as he butchered a half dozen for the entertainment of the masses. It was a difficult pill to swallow. As the crowd filed out Ana and Jason slipped seamlessly in and through it, meeting Fareeha and Olivia in a small mostly deserted alleyway. Just the right amount of people for a gathering to be suspicious, but not memorable or even all that noticeable.

The group had conducted a lot of espionage over the last few days. The cavern itself was at least 35 square miles, and at least 50 meters tall in many places. The caves seemed mostly natural, but some sort of major excavation had been done to the cave itself to make it stable. According to some designs Olivia had 'acquired' nothing short of a category 9 earthquake, or about a 6 gigaton bomb would break this cavern. The group also discovered that the propaganda machine of this nation was absolute. Posters, uniformed men and women patrolling and chattering excitedly about the federation. A handful of loudspeakers would post occasional inspiring messages about the federation. A new village joining the federation. Decreased water price. That sort of thing. When Gabriel had scouted out one of the many markets he'd discovered that many of the citizens felt very positively about the Guardians. Some spoke of the handful of rebelling towns but for the most part it was happy news or no news, which might as well have been happy news.

A bit of good news though was that many soldiers were local volunteers. Not that well trained and usually making up for it in pride and morale. A bit of news that Angela had gotten was that the entire federation of towns was seemingly a feudalistic society. This cavern wasn't multiple cities, it was one big one. Chopped into multiple districts for timber, food, metals, manpower. The most important part of this was the transmitter stations. The entire federation used it. A series of special towers sent signal up to the surface through unknown means, where they then were sent out to radio stations throughout the federation. This communication, when mixed with a comprehensive and secure transport and logistical network, provided both the ability to rapidly communicate needs to other settlements but also the means to get these goods is seemingly what held the entire structure together. The towns could keep varying amounts of control and autonomy in their own right, and they had to provide some good for the rest of the federation.

The supplies provided would be spread around. Farming settlements needed ammunition and gasoline. Oil refineries need food an water. Water plants need electricity. The settlements would soon find themselves inextricably tangled within a net of supply and demand that meant succession was not only impractical, but impossible. This also meant that the entire system relied on this massive capital cities ability to control the logistics and communication. Which put a rather effective and tempting mark on the communication network HQ in the Capitol. It also presented a problem. While the Guardians of The Frontier were absolutely tyrannical and totalitarian, they also delivered food and medicine to people with no normal access to it. And having spent over a week in the wilderness, fighting monsters and raiders, no one in the group was anxious to destroy the foundation of the Guardians and subsequently plunge thousands of people into chaos and death. But still, no one wanted to leave Thomas behind. Which meant that an attack, a light one. A bomb, maybe a small excursion. Minimal casualties. Just enough to scare the guards into mobilizing in the cavern. If everything went well, the guards would be scared enough and inexperienced enough to skip some of the protocol in exchange for security. The group, namely Olivia, Lena and Gabriel would grab Thomas and everyone would escape to a trade caravan. The caravan would be rushed out in order to escape the city, and the group would be free. Then they just had to take a truck, and drive off. With any luck the communication system would stay down long enough that no one would find out about the taken truck until the group was halfway to anchorage. And once at anchorage the small burst transmission they would send before the attack via Olivia's hacking would have reached Overwatch and a several squads worth of soldiers and accompanying support craft and vehicles would be ready to provide escort and intercept.

It was a good plan, if somewhat hopeful. And its always the good plans that end of failing isn't it? it's never the bad plans. Ever heard of a Jack Sparrow plan failing? Or a Joker plan. Probably have, but the point stands. The better thought out a plan is, the more stupendously it will fail.

The next day.

Thomas Swung his spear, the metal tip slashing through a women's throat. She stumbled backwards and Thomas put two hands on his spear, thrusting it forward into the throat of his target. She grabbed it, choking before Thomas yanked it out. Stumbling forward Thomas slammed her face with the butt of the spear. The lump of metal at the end connected easily and broke her nose. She fell backwards, choking on her blood. As soon as he was finished with her two other people attacked him. They struck at the same time, both of them bringing large two handed axes down. Thomas sidestepped the strikes and swung his spear. They both dodged it as well. They stepped to either side of him and struck at once again, one from above and another from the right. Thomas moved the spear and blocked the first strike from the side while dodging the one from above. Kicking the second man to his right Thomas brought the butt of the spear up where it connected to the first mans chin. It didn't kill them but it kept them separated.

Thrusting the spear forward Thomas sent it through the second mans stomach. Grabbing the end that had run through the man Thomas yanked it out, tearing a mangled clump of fat and flesh onto the ground. Swinging it overhead Thomas bought the blade down into the shoulder of the first man. He screamed, grabbing it before Thomas yanked it free and thrust forward again, catching the first mans chest in the strike. He grabbed it and gasped, blood spitting free before he went limp. Before he could yank it free a sledgehammer nearly broke Thomas's hand. His spear however was snapped in half. Grabbing the spear-butt Thomas wielded it like a club, connecting it with the man chest after briefly dueling him. Seeing his chance Thomas brought the spear butt down on his head, barely missing. The man lunged forward, wrapping his hands around Thomas's neck. He pushed down hard, pressing on the arteries and veins while pushing up with his thumb. Bringing his own hammer up Thomas struck the man in the temple. He slumped onto Thomas and Thomas managed to wiggle out from under his body.

Counting the others this was his seventh kill, and Thomas ran towards the elevator to get out. He pushed a man with an arrow in the back of his head (Not Thomas's) to flip the call switch for the elevator. A women ran up behind him, as if to try and kill him. Turning around Thomas through the spear-butt at the women. It connected with her head and she was knocked on her back. Hitting the button Thomas slipped into the elevator as it slipped out. A man jumped on the cage of the elevator, reaching an arm in and begging to be let in. The elevator still slid under the ground, but he couldn't get his arm out. It was stuck on some sort of shoulder pad he had. He yanked at his arm but the elevator descended to quickly, and began pressing his arm between the unyielding ground and the metal. He screamed as the flesh and bone was crushed, the muscle ground and the marrow oozed out. The man screamed and yanked backwards, the arm falling loose in a rapidly expanding puddle of blood. Thomas panted quietly and drew his knees to his chest and tucked his head away between them, not even bothering to destroy the camera within.

The next day.

Running through the labyrinth that was today's trial Thomas followed the passageway. If he kept his right hand on the wall and kept going right he would eventually find an exit. Eventually. So long as nothing killed him. He'd already passed a man who'd been ripped apart, head cut off and organs pulled out of him. And a women, who had been impaled by two dozen spears that jut from the wall. Continuing his running Thomas heard a shout and ducked out of instinct. A mace connected with the wall, and the man swinging it snarled at him.

The man swung the mace at Thomas, who dodged, feeling its the air giving way above him. Thomas swung a fist at him, missing barely. The man stepped back to get another swing in, but Thomas stepped forward, another punch landing on the mans chin. He stumbled backwards. Seeing his chance Thomas ran forward, putting his minimal weight into a shove. It wasn't much, but with one of the mans feet raised in a step it was enough to throw the man off his balance. He fell backwards, directly into the bubbling yellow green, noxious smelling liquid. He shrieked and thrashed, suddenly caught in his coat. Thomas grabbed a piece of metal, a part of an old chain fence and some of the large amounts of scrap that littered the tunnels and threw it over the pit of liquid. It was heavy, and the pit was deep. The man grabbed the chain links, pulling and shrieking on it. He tried to free himself, his skin blackening and causing the blood to already begin to boil. Boils began to appear on his skin, growing to the size of a thumb and popping. As they popped they oozed green and red liquid that cascaded into the bubbling solution. The man gave a final scream, and sunk under the liquid.

A moment later he burst out, all his strength used in a final push to survive. The fence was shoved aside and he scrambled out, sobbing and screaming and flinging bits of dripping flesh around him. His legs were burned away, just muscle and tendons and bone. The skin was just gone. His abdomen was similarly burned, and Thomas watched his gut pop like a pimple, hot blood spraying across his face and torso. The intestines fell out in thick ropes. They piled on the ground and the man fell to his knees, desperately scooping them back into himself. He shrieked louder and louder, and finally one of his arms just detached. The liquid had burned away enough muscle that it couldn't be held onto anymore. He looked at it, then at Thomas, and fell face forward. The remainder of his skin seemed to slough off of him, revealing the bloody bones and muscle under it as he seemed to melt into a puddle. Thomas shook, feeling that hot blood on his face. It began burning and Thomas quickly rubbed it off with his coat, throwing the article of clothing onto the ground and backing away. The smell of burned flesh and hair crept into Thomas's nostrils, and he felt tears on his cheek. A sob worked its way into his throat, but before it could escape he heard several pairs of feet running along.

Freezing in place Thomas heard the low, guttural growling. He smelled the rancid breath. It was too dark in the passageway, lit only by the occasional torch. A three fingered hand reached the corner, the largest finger tipped with a large sickle claw. A once human face peered around the corner, eyes missing, nostrils widened to take up the face from where the eyes should be to above its mouth. An overly long tongue slipped out and it growled, loud snorting filling the passageway. Thomas saw its long teeth that jut out of its mouth quiver as its nostrils trembled. It smelled the man, and stepped forward. Brown skin that hung off its bones swung and swayed as it stepped forward. Thomas stayed frozen, making no sound, not even breathing. The Hanger, as he liked to call them due to the way its flesh hung off its body, stepped forward. It hissed and made little cackling sound, its mouth trying to close and being unable to due to the overly large teeth. It shambled past Thomas, elongated feet almost bumping him as it moved. Hovering over the dead mans body it cooed quietly before falling to its knees and effortlessly slicing off a chunk of flesh. Holding the meat in its mangled hands it paused, seemingly staring at it despite lacking eyes. Then it shoved the meat in its mouth before carving another slice and frenziedly shoving fistfuls of flesh into its mouth.

Shaking Thomas silently got to his feet. He stepped backwards, silently moving away. A second growl was heard, and he froze. Turning his head Thomas spotted a second Hanger, this one with pasty white skin. Again it lacked eyes but seemed to stare at him. It barred its teeth and Thomas summoned his hammer, holding it in the ready to swing position. The Hanger stepped forward and growled again, but Thomas stomped his foot at it. It growled and began to walk past him, stalking over before it ripped the dead mans not totally melted arm off and began stripping the flesh and muscle off. Neither appeared affected by the acid at all.

Seeing his chance Thomas turned and ran as quietly and quickly as he could. Faintly he heard growling again, but he put more speed into his running. Turning a corner he came face to face with a man. More correctly a boy. He was short and young as well, looking to be barely five foot five inches tall and probably not older than sixteen. Hearing growling behind him they came to the same conclusion and began running for their lives. Both of them spotted the exit elevator and began running for it. Thomas was slightly faster, and as they past a torch a loud shriek was heard. Turning his head Thomas watched as the younger man went down. A Hanger had its claws buried into his shoulder, and his teeth into the boys neck. Thomas turned to the elevator, and began to run towards it. The boy screamed, and as he jumped onto the elevator he paused. Turning to look at him he saw two more Hangers were biting into the boy. He screamed and stared at Thomas, betrayal plain in his eyes. Thomas drew his bow, aiming an arrow and loosing it into the boys head. His head fell forward, and his body went limp. The elevator began going upwards and Thomas saw as his arm was pulled loose, and hangar chewing it noisily. Thomas shot the camera in the elevator, destroying it.

His entire body shaking Thomas put his hands on his knees and began to sob. He vomited on the ground and had force himself not to collapse into the vomit. The elevator made a dinging noise and Thomas watched as the doors swung open. The crowds cheered and Thomas got up, stepping out of the elevator, tears still on his cheeks. He was in a cage, and six other people were in other cages around him. Their was a seventh cage, but the women in that cage was sobbing on the ground, blood seeping from her pores, out her eyes and mouth and ears. Pieces of her flesh were falling off, and it looked like holes had been eaten into it. She grabbed her cheeks, pulling at them and taking lumps off skin with it. The announcer spoke through the intercom.

"WELL FOLKS, IT APPEARS THAT THESE ARE THE ONLY SEVEN CONTESTANTS LEFT. YES IT APPEARS THAT OUT OF ALL THIRTY CONTESTANTS ONLY SEVEN, SOON TO BE SIX, REMAIN." The crowd began cheering again, before quieting down.

"THAT LEAVES US ONLY SIX ACTIVE COMBATANTS TO FIGHT THE REIGNING CHAMPION!" All the cage doors opened, and they began sinking into the ground. Everyone except the women with the flesh eating disease. She stared at the others as the cage shrunk. When the cages all were beneath the ground a hissing was heard, then a loud swooshing and shrieking. Then it all stopped. And a loud grinding noise was heard, and on the other side of the arena two large doors swung open. Thomas looked around, noticing the arena looked deeper than usual. The stands were higher up and their was an energy shield up. Looking at the doors Thomas saw a reptilian head poking out of the darkness. A snake like tongue darted out of its mouth. It's long, crocodile like head swung slowly, human eyes with reptile pupils scanning the small figures below it. The creature possessed large arms that split at the elbow into two different arms. Each had four fingers including a thumb. It was easily twenty feet tall, with short, stubby elephant leg that were as tall as Thomas. A tail, scaled like the rest of it, whipped around its sides, ending in a barbed and notched spike that could wrap around a target. It stepped into the room, hunching over on two of its lower arms. Its shoulders and back were covered in spines that jut out, and it hissed loudly. One of its clawed hands reach out, grasping at the air before becoming a clawed fist.

With only a handful of melee weapons the contestants immediately scattered. Thomas looked around, seeing no way out. One man was banging the hatch where the cages went down to, another was hugging the wall, moving slowly towards the creature as it stumbled around, as if trying to escape into its cage. Everyone else was looking at the wall, jumping and trying to escape. The creature opened its mouth wide, forked tongue darting in the air. Its head snapped down to the man who was trying to sneak by.

Bending over it sniffed at the man, its forked tongue lashing out and licking him. The man laughed at it, the saliva tickling him. With a flick of its jaw it grabbed the man, snapping down on him and flinging it's head upwards. The force of the movements rip the man apart, his entrails becoming extrails and splattering across the nearby wall. The beast snapped again, catching his remains and swallowing them whole as they slid down the wall. Rearing back up on its short legs it swung around, roaring at the nearest women. She took her spear and crouched down, as if to stab upwards at it. The beast reared its head backwards and swung a limb, knocking the spear aside. It reached forward, grabbing the women in one hand and began squeezing. She screamed loudly, shaking her head and flinging the blood the welled up in her throat everywhere. The beast squeezed harder, and a loud popping noise was heard. The women went limp and silent before her corpse was thrown against the wall, her bruised body limp on the ground.

Next was a man. He had an axe, and he decided to run towards an unmoving Thomas. He had to get to others. Attack as a group. But he was too slow. The tail wrap around him and swung him hard. He went into the energy shield, and with a crackle he fell to the floor, smoke wafting off his body, skin charred and clothes burned away. The remaining two froze as Thomas has, figuring out that maybe staying still was the best solution. But it was to late. Far too late. They'd moved to much. It knew exactly where they were. And it lunged forward, clawed hands and teeth snapping and slicing away. The first man was torn in two as its hand pulled him in opposite direction, his intestines slipping out his body into the waiting gullet of the beast. The second man was screaming, his body being crushed by the beasts stumpy legs. With a squish his head rolled away, torso and abdomen squashed underfoot. Tossing aside the two halves of the still alive man the beast turned around, scanning the room. It didn't see Thomas.

Booming footsteps sounded as it stalked towards its home, and Thomas felt a sense of relief. It didn't see him, freezing in terror had worked. Then something hit him. A rock probably. It hit his head, and he stumbled forward, the sound of the rock hitting his head making a thunking noise. The beast turned around, staring at him. Knowing he was found Thomas summoned his bow and fired an arrow. It flew through the air, hitting the beast's nose. Then it lunged forward.

Thomas rolled out of its way, concentrating as much as he could to slow time, narrowly avoiding its claws. He rolled into an upright position, and began running. The beast turned quickly, running after him. Thomas collected the dead women's spear and swung it hard. The metal tip slashed across the palm of the beast, and it yanked its hand backwards. A growl left its throat as it lunged forward, mouth outstretched. Thomas thrust forward, catching one of its six eyes. The beast reared backwards, taking the spear and Thomas with it. A scream ripped loose of its body, and Thomas let go, dropping down its back and grabbing one of its large spines. Taking his hammer his slammed the back of it into the flesh at the base of the spine. Barely even feeling the strike the beast roared loudly at the spear in its eye. It shook fiercely and finally reached up, slowly taking the spear in as gentle a grip as it could. The weapon still shattered, and it roared again.

Now it changed from in pain to blood lust fueled fury. It began grabbing at its spines, roaring and trying to shake Thomas free or grab him. Thomas let go, sliding down its back and summoning his bow. He fired into one of its hand as he slid, and the limb jerked away. Putting his feet on a spine Thomas jumped upwards, letting his bow dissipate as he grabbed another spine. He concentrated on his hands, trying to summon something he hadn't in a very long time.

And Thomas found he couldn't. It wouldn't come. The beast managed to grab him off his back, and swung him around, holding him in front of its gaze and letting out a roar that vibrated the stadium. It brought it hand down onto Thomas, attempting to squish him. Thankfully Thomas's hands were free, and another arrow entered the beasts hands. Falling to the ground Thomas grabbed a sword and ran towards its stubby legs. He swung hard, not even piercing the thick layered skin. The tail came towards him, and Thomas dodged it as well, jumping onto the limb. It tried to curl around him as it raised itself up, but it couldn't. Dangling above the creature Thomas let go, falling several feet. As he fell he brought to sword down on its head, forcing the blade through the beasts head. Thomas smiled as it froze in place, limbs hanging limply. Thomas smiled, pushing it deeper into its skull.

'I did it.' Thomas thought. 'It's dead. I did it I killed this giant mon-" A paw swung, smashing into Thomas and sending him rolling away. Thomas settled on the ground, painful coughing fits racking his body. He put a hand to his ribs, feeling like Angela taught him to. Nothing broken. he smiled at himself. Nothing broken. Thomas got to his feet, adrenaline pumping through his body. He felt great. He felt powerful. Turning towards the roaring monster Thomas took a step and fell to his knee, gasping in pain. The pain lanced through him, piercing the adrenaline fueled shroud and drawing tears to his eyes. Holy fuck his left knee felt it was twisted backwards. He felt it, it wasn't broken or dislocated. it felt like it was though. Looking up he saw the monster staring at him, animalistic hate in it eyes.

With a screech roar of rage it charged forward, lowering it head and jumping at Thomas. Thomas held his position, running to the left at the last moment. Seeing this the creature changed course to intercept, but Thomas spun on his heels running/limping away as the throbbing in his knee got worse. Unable to change course again the beast headbutt the concrete wall, shattering the sword in its head from the impact. It went limp on the ground, and Thomas jumped onto his back. He had nothing but his hammer, and he began tugging at a scale on the beasts neck. His palms felt warm, and Thomas felt the spark.

Tearing with all his power he pulled the scale off and summoned an arrow and stabbed at the new wound, the chink in the armor, opening it up. Roused from its slumber the beast rose slowly, unaware of what was happening. Focusing hard Thomas felt the sweat dripping off his hair. The aches in his bones as they protested. He felt the stink of its rancid breathe leaving the new hole in its throat. Feeling all of this, Thomas felt warmth spread along his hands. Looking down he saw two small fireballs, one in either palm. Smiling he thrust his two burning fists into the hole in the creatures throat. Its eyes opened, its body jerked, and then the noxious fumes in its stomach caught alight. The resulting combustion threw Thomas backwards, fire burning away some parts of his hair and eyebrows and clothes. The flames, fueled by the gas, went into the creatures gullet and stomach. They went across it skin and into the air. They were spewed as if it were a dragon and that fire its own person. With a mournful moan in fell backwards, flames crackling out it open mouth that slowly began to cook and burn its body from the inside out. Thomas lay on the ground, gasping as he already felt the adrenaline leaving him. It hurt. Everything hurt. Tears collected in his eyes from the pain. Instinctively he curled in on himself. The guards happily obliged as they tied a rope around his foot and began dragging him away from the bloodthirsty crowds.


	28. Chapter 28

Sitting in the cell Thomas felt his body throbbing in pain. His adrenaline hadn't really stopped pumping since he'd been caught, and now it had dissipated just enough that the pain in his knee went from fire dashing across his veins to molten lave dripping onto his skin and sinking into his bones. And by now his shoulder blades, ribs, head and knee were feeling similar. He breathed slowly, breathe shaky and painful. The new cell he was in was deep underground, and the cold of the dirt seeped into the cell, gripping his body. His eyelids drooped again, sleep pulling his body downwards from his sitting position. He gasped in pain a ice cold water drenched his body. He looked up, seeing his captors at the top of the cell, the only entrance or exit. They were laughing at him, and Thomas reached up, desperate to kill them with his bow. The chains connecting his handcuffed hand to the floor next to the bed rattled, and when they went taught a shock of electricity went up through them. Thomas gasped, sagging backwards and gasping in pain.

"No sleeping boy! Yer gonna fight again. I hear it's slicehounds today." He taunted. Slicehounds were genetically modified dogs, given parts of hippo, cat and human DNA. They were lethal already, and with surgically drafted bits of metal on their backs forming jutting spines they would tackle prey, slicing chunks of flush off as they mauled the victim. They were trained to kill slowly. And with Thomas like this... he wouldn't be able to kill them. He couldn't draw his bow. He would be wielding his weapons one handed. He shuddered when a second bucket of water, this one with chunks of ice, hit him. He slumped onto the bare metal cot, shaking as a fresh wave of biting cold gripped him. He rubbed his chest, generating warmth as best he could with his soaked clothing. The wet fabric clung to his body like a drowning man would a life raft, and the holes in his clothes from the last three days began to wear down and get worse as he moved. He had tried to summon fire, maybe just get a source of warmth other than him in here. It hadn't worked. He couldn't even get a warm feeling going.

But he heard only one person. Usually two, maybe three were present. Too many to kill without them overpowering him. But with just the one guard, he may have an opportunity. Thomas summoned his bow, staring at it his his hands. With the handcuffs on he couldn't draw it, and couldn't fire. Then he got an idea. He leaned over, put his foot on the draw string and pulled. It was awkward, and he wasn't sure how accurate it was, but he had a weapon. Awkwardly bending over Thomas managed to work the arrow into the bow where it wouldn't fall over. Looking above him at the bars Thomas saw the padlock over the gate out of the cell. He breathed deeply in, and shouted.

"That all you got fucker!" Thomas heard a chair scraping the ground and footsteps stomping over. He saw the mans head pop up over the cage, staring down. Thomas loosed the arrow, hitting him in the forehead. He fell forward, landing on the bars and slipping slightly into the bars before getting stuck. The remote in his hand fell down the ten feet into the cell, and into Thomas's hands. Smiling Thomas hit the release button, the electrified handcuffs slipping off his chaffed wrists. Smiling to himself Thomas got to his feet, stumbling forward and falling onto the stairs as he groaned in pain. The cell door was released by the button, he just needed to get out. Thomas took the remote and tucked it into the band of his boxers. It wasn't universal, far from it. But it did still give him an access point. It may be useful.

Walking to the door and pushing it open a blast of cold air hit him. Shivering immediately Thomas closed the door and stumbled backwards, shaking from the cold. Looking around for a solution he looked at the corpse on the bars of the floor cage. Raising an eyebrow Thomas wondered if he could make those several size larger clothes fit.

Twenty minutes later.

Moving his arms and body as much as he could Thomas felt the warm clothes rubbing against his wounds. The hole in the front wasn't that bad, and he bundled up enough to block it. His stolen helmet and armor rattled as it moved. Opening the door again Thomas sighed as the cold of the tunnel still gripped his body. But this was as good as it would ever be, so he stepped forward into the dark. Placing one hand on the wall Thomas rubbed his ungloved hands together, feeling warmth in them but not getting any flame. He sighed and put the gloves back on as his fingers began feeling numb. He heard dripping down the tunnel. A slow, steady drop. Drop. Drop. Maybe from a leaking pipe. The sound of scratching reverberated down the tunnel, rebounding and reverberating. It sounded like silver forks on nice plates, grating and shrieking. Hearing footsteps Thomas moved to the left to get out of sight, when he walked in to a guardrail. He let out a grunt as the bar hit his crotch, and found himself looking into a darkness more complete than any he had ever seen. Looking around and seeing no light Thomas quietly spat and listened intently.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Five seconds.

Six seconds.

Seven seconds.

Eight Seconds.

He heard a very distant thwap, and gulped. Backing away from the edge and did math as quickly as he could. Maybe two hundred fifty meters? Almost eight hundred feet. The footsteps were getting closer, but they walked slowly, stumbling as they did. Listening to the scuffling Thomas smiled. This was the drunk guard who's voice he occasionally heard, slurred and slow. Moving silently he checked his armor to make sure it was all properly on. Walking forward Thomas puffed out his chest and swung his arms, trying to seem boisterous and tall. Seeing a flashlight round a corner the beam settled on him, shaking as it did so.

"Wahhh hiiiyahhh bobbbyy!" Came a drunken voice. Walking forward Thomas smiled and waved back as well as he could. The drunk man stumbled forward and fell, collapsing into Thomas arms. Thomas stifled a scream as his body protested the weight, and Thomas released the drunk man. He fell, his head hitting the rock hard. Waiting a moment for his body to stop protesting Thomas glanced at the man, who had rolled over onto his back. Leaning over and taking the mans flashlight he shone it on the mans face. Alcohol and vomit leaked out his nose and mouth, pooling around his head with blood. Taking a look at his chest Thomas saw it wasn't moving. A bottle rolled away from the corpse, still half full of something foul smelling. Thomas collected it, looking as the suddenly dead man. He smiled as he got an idea.

Later

Scanning the arena Ana felt her heartbeat spiking. As a sniper she prided herself on controlling her heartbeat, but now it beat near to bursting. Thomas was nowhere in the arena. That much Ana was grateful for. The keepers of the arena had released some sort of horribly mutated dogs into the arena. They were literally ripping the prisoners apart. A women in the corner had six dogs, four holding her arms and legs, two biting into her torso and ripping mouthfuls of flesh and organ away as she screamed and struggled. Another man had his lungs ripped out through his back, and a mutt was chewing on them like any other piece of meat. The thing that had Ana worried, was if they were saving him as some sort of final entertainment. She'd heard several rumors today, all hinting excitedly that Maverick had had enough of Thomas and planned on just killing him today. Watching the hounds take down another man, grabbing his arms and legs and pulling until he was ripped in half, Ana felt her heart begin to beat faster.

Jason watched as Ana shifted her legs, putting her left over her right again, and put a hand over hers. Offering her as much silent assurance as he could. Ana glanced at the taller and broader man, seeing his smile and feeling a bit of pressure leave her body.

"Ana, that kid has fallen out of a helicopter before, intact enough to save my ass. He's probably escaped by now, and they don't want to admit it." Ana nodded, looking back over the arena.

"I know. I know."

"Think about it like this. Thomas hates these people. And he's also one the most stubborn people I have ever met. Do you think he would let himself die here, to them?" Ana, not thinking the joke was funny, couldn't stop a small smile from forming as her stress has little other way to leave.

"Thank you Jason."

Later.

Stepping into the daylight Thomas adjusted his new clothes. He'd taken the bottle of alcohol and fashioned a little Molotov cocktail from it. It hadn't gone that well, as he still couldn't summon a spark. It did however make a very effective melee weapon weapon when he broke it over a guards head, and proceeded to impale the broken glass bottle into the neck of a second guard. Thomas had procured better fitting, less bloody clothes. He also acquired a bolt action rifle, a low intensity laser pistol and two grenades, one fragmentation, the other a special taser grenade that sent tendrils of electricity arcing around it, electrocuting anyone around it. It had three intensities, one the power of a taser that incapacitated, one slightly more powerful that could knock out the targets, and one powerful enough to kill anything it touched.

Walking forward he saw a majority of the valley that housed Mason's capital. His fortress loomed overhead, reaching to the top of the massive cavern. Looking down the trail he saw it went down the cliff several dozen meters before turning back into the rock face. Walking down the path Thomas glanced down the sheer rock, briefly considering if he would live through throwing himself off the trail and down the several hundred meter fall. Deciding against it he decided that if he found another guard maybe he'd throw them off and experiment. Walking down the path a guard turned the corner, walking up the path. Thomas let the guard approach, keeping his own pace even and acting like he wasn't injured. The guard walked closer, and as he went to pass by Thomas Thomas attacked. The stock of his rifle came up and connected with the back of the guards head. As he stumbled forward, dropping his weapon and grabbing the wounded spot, Thomas grabbed his shirt and pulled hard, slinging him at the railing. The guard toppled over it, screaming as he plummeted downwards. Thomas grabbed the railing and peered after him, hearing two more guards come rushing out of the tunnel.

"What happened?" One called, rushing next to Thomas and peering down at the ground far below. Putting his ample panic in his voice Thomas spoke.

"I don't know! He- he- he just threw his gun down and jumped!" The second guard looked at him.

"What the fuck? He jump- just jumped! Christ I knew he was upset his girl left but I didn't think he'd jump!" The two looked down and Thomas backed away, pulling his laser pistol. The two turned, just in time for the first to be hit in the throat with the super-heated energy. The other backed up, staring at him.

"Fuck fuck fuck you're Thomas! The one in the rings! The one from the waste! You lived in nothing! I've heard of that place. I watched you fight!" Thomas smiled behind his face goggles and improvised mask.

"Always happy to meet a fan." Pulling the trigger the laser hit the man's forehead. He slumped backwards, going limp on the rails. A quick search found that they had nothing of interest on there bodies. He left them there on the path, deciding three suicides looked too suspicious. Reaching the tunnel entrance Thomas glanced inside, seeing no cells nor people. Just rock and the occasional torch complementing the light of a few scattered light bulbs. Walking down the center of the corridor Thomas kept his right hand on the wall. His left held the pistol, and he thumbed the trigger quietly. Nervous energy was piling into him. No one would here the exceptionally quiet sound of a laser blasting, but someone may have seen it. Hearing laughter ahead he paused. It sounded like three, maybe four people. He pulled the fragmentation grenade, and walked forward. Flickering light greeted him, and the smell of alcohol wafted down the tunnel, as well as the smell of food. Thomas's stomach rumbled, and he gripped it tightly, wincing through the pain. They'd had provided no food for him during his time in the rings, and the only water he got was that which he could lick off his body when they drenched him, and what he could get licking cool stones.

Altering his plan he put the grenade back in place, adjusted his armor and holstered his pistol. Knowing he may have to fight he moved his body. His knee and shoulder both protested. He couldn't bring his arm over his head his right arm. Good thing he was ambidextrous. With his knee, he could run... probably. But every movement felt like fire in his knee cap, so testing that theory may be his death. Taking a deep breathe he walked into the light. None of the guards noticed him, and he walked up to the table, sitting at an empty seat. One guard turned, and punched Thomas's shoulder. An affectionate gesture, and one that almost made Thomas cry in pain. Thankfully the guard ignored him after that. After pulling down his mask Thomas took a loaf of bread and began eating. He couldn't break cover. A different guard turned to look at him, and Thomas saw a flash of something in the guards eyes. When the guard jumped up to make a move Thomas was ready. He pulled his laser pistol and fired three times. The first one hit the man that jumped up in the throat. He fell backwards onto the ground, twitching. The second two hit the next two soldiers. The first was hit in the temple, his brain cooking instantly as the super heated energy flooded him. The second was hit in the chest, blasting through the unarmored flesh with ease. The remaining two gasped and went to draw their weapons, but Thomas had his pistol on them first. They froze, one having no weapon, the other having an incendiary grenade. Thomas pointed his pistol at the man with a grenade, shaking his head no. The man hit the button, dropped the grenade, and was promptly shot in the face by Thomas. Thomas ran, leaving the final man to scramble away with him.

The grenades explosion destroyed all the food because of course it did. The final guard died in the blast, fire gripping his his clothes and burning clinging to his body like napalm. He passed out as the fire reached into his lungs and cooked the suddenly dehydrated flesh to a crisp. Looking over the burnt bodies Thomas felt a twinge of sadness. Again he wished he hadn't come. As much as he believed that his presence had saved lives, he wanted to leave. And again the thought of where he would go struck him. Jesse loved him. Thomas wouldn't let himself think he didn't. But would Overwatch take him back... with his use expired and his high maintenance argumentative personality would they even want him. Olivia loved it in Overwatch for the same reasons he did... would she leave? And Amelie... she wouldn't abandon Lena. Turning away from the corpses Thomas felt his shoulders slump. When he escaped... what would he do? Go back home? Live by himself again? He had lived by himself for two years, and when he left he had earned a reputation. Protector, repairman, defender. Lovely titles, but none that would earn him any favors. Most places he knew hated him now. That left him living in total isolation again. Could he do that?

And if he couldn't, what would he do? Try to find his way back to Overwatch and hope they wanted him? Pausing in the tunnel Thomas considered turning around and throwing himself off the cliff face. Why should he struggle? But he pushed the thought away. He wouldn't kill himself now for the same reason he hadn't when Arthur died. When Elizabeth died. When he'd been forced away from his home into the real world, when he'd been tortured, beaten and attacked for things he couldn't control. He wasn't brave enough to kill himself... no matter how much he wanted to.

So he trudged down the stone path, deeper into the dim light. At this point of the tunnel many lightbulbs were broken. The glass on the floor crunched quietly with every footfall, and Thomas winced at every noise. He wondered if he had taken a wrong turn, if the cave had doubled back, or if their were some hidden passageway the guards would know about, but not interlopers. No sounds were in the tunnels. Nothing. Not a wisp of air or a trace of sound. The air began to feel heavy on Thomas, and he felt sweat gathering on his neck. He tugged at his clothes, glancing around slowly.

The dark had become oppressive at this point. It pushed on him from all sides, squeezing his thin body tightly. It embrace felt wrong. The darkness wasn't his friend anymore. It didn't hide his presence, it hid things from his eyes. Thomas began to pant, his heartbeat raising rapidly. Turning around again and again he realized he didn't know which direction to go. He began to gasp, and heard sounds. Scratching. Long scratching.

He froze, staring down the tunnel where he heard it. The long, uninterrupted scraping. The steady tack- tack- tack- of clawed feet connecting to the stone floor. He heard breathing. Louder than his own, deeper and scruffier. Slower. The sounds of someone sniffing deeply. A wet gargling choking noise. The scraping stopping. The tacking picking up pace. Faster.

Faster.

Faster.

And faster. Feeling panic Thomas pulled his gun up and pulled the trigger twice, hearing tow clicks. Panic seized him, complete and total. He turned and ran, hearing the ticking behind him. The ticking picked up, wet gargling huffs mixed with bursts of laughter. Thomas grabbed for his grenades, reaching to where he put them when he stumbled slightly. He caught himself, gasping for breathe, and abandoned the idea. He couldn't see, but if he tripped he would die. He was sure of it.

Thomas burst into the light. He wasn't looking over the land. He was farther down, and several paths diverged from it. Hearing the tacking Thomas turned, backing away rapidly. A shape, at least eight foot tall lumbered to the edge of darkness, its features mostly masked by the darkness. But he saw its snout twitch in a smile. It reached a hand out, but the limb crumbled away in the brighter light. He saw the smile fall into a scowl, then reform again.

"I'll be waiting Thomas." And the shape fell backwards into the darkness. Scooting away Thomas turned and ran down the path, checking his gun. it was fully loaded. Like and idiot he pulled the trigger and nearly jumped out of his skin when the gun went off. He dropped the weapon on the ground and slipped. Falling on his injured shoulder he gasped in pain. The path he had chosen was unfortunately steep enough that he began to slip after he fell. Small rocks, sand and gravel began to slide with him in a painful rocky avalanche. It wasn't steep enough for him to tumble in the slide, but very little grass grew down here. Mostly it was trees and bushes. And even more unfortunately no trees or bushes were nearby. Eventually the sliding stopped, and Thomas stopped with it, deposited at the base of a hill and on the outskirts of a small town. He got up, falling over and groaning quietly as they new cascade of bruises made their complaints known.

Laying their, on the dirt, the bright lights far above, Thomas felt like he deserved an epiphany. Some great though to mark the moment. One he could tell others about proudly. Something about how when one is at their lowest they rise up. Unfortunately the only thought on his mind at the time was how one rock had lodged itself uncomfortably into the small of his back. Sitting straight up Thomas groaned quietly. No shouts or stomping could be heard, so it was unlikely he had been seen. Glancing at the wooden houses Thomas saw no movement at all. When he forced himself to his feet and moved to the house, he felt the wood. It was soft and gave way to his touch. Small clumps of a green and yellow fungus grew near the roof. Walking into past the home into a line of similar wooden homes packed so tightly together he could touch two at once Thomas heard nothing. In the distance the hum of humanity, but here was nothing. All houses had the similar rot to the wood, with some even collapsing or collapsed from it. Searching the homes Thomas found they had been abandoned.

He wasted at least two hours searching the village. It was an absurd amount of time to spend searching a village with less than twenty rotting homes. The village itself was no more than a few dozen meters of ground that had been pressed down. Each home had enough room for what looked like two cots on either side of a small room. A single central building had several benches, all in similar stages of rot and decay. Thomas decided it was a mining town. Workers would stay here, about forty of them lived here. They had taken their time to leave. Thomas found nothing in the village, no medicine for his array of cuts and gashes, and no food for his stomach. Feeling it growl Thomas almost doubled over in pain. As he stuck his hand through the rotten wood, an array of insects fell out. Thomas had eaten many questionable things. Rats, raw meat, strange mushroom that felt better coming up then going down. Parts of animals he'd hunted that he did not want to think about. And as his hunger gnawed he forced himself away from the insects. They would only get him sick. Walking away from the barren village Thomas walked towards the woods.

Two hours later

When the soldiers were out of eye shot Thomas pulled himself out of the muddy ground. The uniform he had stolen was coated thickly in mud and underbrush. It made excellent camouflage in these wet and cold lowlands. The filthy mud clung to his skin and was already drying into it. He wiped some out of his eye as best he could, and ducked back down amongst the bushes. His back ached from being bent over, and as he stooped down again his legs gave out, sending him into a deep puddle of mud. He sunk several feet into, splashing to pull himself out. When he did so he spat out a mouthful of the retched semi liquid. Thomas's head was spinning. His mouth and tongue were dry, and as he spat he nearly choked as his dry throat protested. He heard nothing coming after him, and as far as he could tell his escape was currently still a secret. He crawled in the frigid mud maybe a hundred meters before rising up to walk again. His leg protested his weight and drove him to his knees. His scratches and gashes had stopped bleeding, but now they burned. Forcing himself another dozen steps Thomas collapsed again. This time he lay their. His eyelids felt heavy, and he fell unconscious in the mud.

He woke suddenly several minutes later, coughing violently. In his unconsciousness he had inhaled the liquid mud. He coughed, grabbing his throat and hacking out bits of red speckled brown mud. When he finished he looked around him. Trees as far as he could see. Hundreds of them, tall and thick. They choked the air around him, and he got an idea.

He had to climb the tree. Get his bearings. Get fresh air. It became essential to him, like breathing or eating. Thomas grabbed the trunk, and began to climb from one low lying branch to another. It took him almost a half hour to climb all eight meters of the tree, but he did so. And pushing past the branches and leaves that chokes and pulled at him he gasped the air above the swampy forest. It was cold here. But the air was cleaner. Thomas sobbed in gratitude, wiping away mud from his eyes and spitting some more out. He saw a city nearby... he could work with that. He had too. Thomas wound up falling out of the tree about halfway down, and the limbs tore and ripped at his clothing. When he hit the ground he had a new scratch, from his knee to his armpit on the left side of his body. Parts of his shirt and parts were ripped away, and he had lost his right shoe.

Same time.

Olivia would never have thought herself so lucky. The distraction had gone off perfectly. Olivia had gotten into the slave pens, as she learned they were called. No one had noticed her, no one on the team had been injured so far. But the reason she was lucky, is because she had Mason, with his hands up, standing in front of her. No one to save him.

"Tell me where Thomas is now." Mason sighed.

"Seriously. Of all the questions you could have asked I do know the question to, how many teeth are in a horses mouth, the best type of ketchup-" Olivia pistol whipped Mason in the nose, a satisfying crack sounding out.

"No more games! Where!" Mason grabbed his nose, rolling slowly.

"Ow ow ow ow! That's my good nose! I don't know where the runts gone! He killed a bunch of my guards and escaped six hours ago." Olivia shook her head, scanning the hallways again.

"Look young lady, the way I see it, you have a few options. Thomas has escaped, but you can search the detention area two levels below on the right all you want. You won't find him though. Second option, you go back to the surface and continue with your plan to escape. I can pull a few more strings if you'd like to help you out. And I have the feeling you'll find Thomas on the way. Third you could simply shoot me, but I have a feeling the sound may be a bit more noticeable then your little pistol whip. Plus, you haven't killed me yet. You didn't kidnap anyone. And you didn't destroy my radios. I have a feeling you don't want me dead, or more correctly, you don't want my people dead. Of course you choose the wild card and marry me." Olivia's head jerked at him. Mason shrugged.

"Okay I get it I kidnapped and lightly tortured your brother. Err... honorary brother. I had to try. Of course, if you leave now, I have something that might interest you." He reached into his pocket, earning another hit from Olivia gun to his head. He fell again, groaning quietly.

"OWWWWwwWwww. I'm helping you fire woman! Take it." He hurled something at her, and Olivia caught it, sparing it a glance. It was a small hard drive, about the size of her pinky.

"What is it?" He groaned and sat up, rubbing his temple.

"The information! The type you came here for. On a flash drive. It's incentive. To not come back! To leave me alone! I've had my fill of Overwatch! And of that slippery rat Thomas!" Olivia planted a foot in his ribs.

"Do not say anything about him! I will go, and listen to you. Not because I trust you, but you seem particularity stupid and I think he really did escape." He waved at her, gesturing to leave. As he did so she saw something on his finger. A ring.

"And take that off. Now!" Mason looked at the ring on his finger, the one he had taken from Thomas. He slid it off, throwing it at her. Olivia took it and pocketed it.

"Right right right! Check the woods, a few miles out of town. He may be a... slogged down. Oh and the soldiers you left in my town are safe! Not that anyone cares about them. They aren't they main characters." Olivia leveled him a glare with as much malice as she could muster. Mason looked bored and in pain. Turning around she slipped back into invisibility and began sprinting.

Later.

Thomas sat as dry and comfortably as he could, four meters off the ground in a tree. The leaves obscured him well enough from the ground, and he was only visible when seen from directly below. He shook, his clothes offering no protection to the seeping cold that gripped him. He shivered, and shook. His wounds burned. And the shivering made it worse. He had drifted into and out of sleep for maybe an hour, every time he almost fell asleep he would catch himself about to fall of his branch. And once again when sleep was so close he was awoken. By splashing. And his name.

"Thomas!" Thomas blinked, and in his stupor he responded.

"Yes?" And a gunshot went off, hitting the branch he was on and causing it to fall. Thomas fell with it. He twisted as he did so, hitting another two branches on the way down. He groaned, but his instincts drove him to move. He rolled away, a blade plunging into where he just lay. Taking his own rifle he swung it at his attacker. The man dodged it and swung the butt of her rifle at Thomas, connecting with his cheek. He went sprawling into the foot deep mud, and stayed still. He waited for the plunge. The knife to end him. But it didn't come. No impalement. No fiery pain. He did feel a hand grab the back of his ripped shirt and yank him out. Thomas coughed and sputtered, as he was hoisted up.

"Thomas!" And he was hugged fiercely by a woman. Thomas groaned from the pain, but he was limp in her grasp. She set him against a tree and wiped away the mud at his eyes. When he blinked them open he Olivia. Behind her, a man. His face in the mud and three holes in his back leaking blood like a faucet. Thomas focused back on Olivia, putting a muddy hand to her cheek.

Olivia felt his hand touch her, and smiled. She was crying softly, and hugged him tightly.

"You're alive! I knew you were! I never gave up. I never gave up!" She pulled away from the hug, looking over Thomas. He was filthy. Mud and dirt caked his face and body. Dried blood mixed with the mud. His Hazel Green eyes shone beneath the brown and red surrounding his face. Olivia wiped away some of the mud and saw that his lips and cheeks were turning light blue. With clothes were ripped as well. Olivia looked around and took his shoulders.

"Come on Thomas. We need to go. Now." She began to pull him, but Thomas tripped and lent on her to the point of dragging her down.

"Wait wait wait. Oli- please... water!" Olivia fumbled her canteen and handed it to Thomas. His hands shook as he drank deeply. Not a drop escaped his lips as he gulped. As he drank Olivia ran his words back through her head. His voice was scratchy and irritating. And she'd never heard him beg like that before. He sounded like a hurt puppy. Alone and afraid. Eventually he forced the water away, gasping for breathe.

"I'm sorry- I haven't drank in days!" Olivia pushed it back into his hands.

"Don't worry Thomas. Drink. Please." He hesitated.

"What about you?" Olivia smiled.

"Take it. Please." Thomas nodded and drank the rest in deep gulps. When it was empty he let it go. He needed more. Much more. A river. A waterfall. A freshwater ocean. But for now his throat burned as water quenched it, and his tumbled rumbled as something other than mud and food filled it. The presence of one of his many needs awoke a fierce desire for the rest. His eyelids drooped and he almost fell on the spot, but Olivia caught him.

"No no no. Not yet. The others are here and waiting, they'll pick us up nearby. I promise. Then we can sleep." He nodded at her, and as she couldn't carry him she took one of his arms around his shoulder and the two began to walk. It was slow and silent work. Olivia kept gazing at his lips, growing increasingly concerned as she watched the blue grow. It concerned her, but she had no extra clothes to give him. Shaking her head she began to slowly increase their pace. The sooner they got out of this awful frigid swamp the sooner she could get him food, water, fresh clothes.

It was slow going, and more than once they were forced to stop, hide behind trees or in the mud. Olivia cursed every time she had to set Thomas down. He was getting colder to. Thomas's body temperature was colder than a normal person, but despite that he gave off heat like a furnace. Only now he didn't. Now he felt cold to the touch. His skin was dumpy, and he shivered and shook in her grasp. When they finally broke free from the awful mud swamp Olivia felt her own exhaustion beginning to take root. Luckily they didn't have to go far though. The rest of the group had gotten her signal. They had the truck waiting. The back could hold most of the group in secret in the back, behind packages and supplies. Gabriel and Fareeha would ride in the front. And as Olivia turned a corner, seeing a disguised Fareeha who had been treated of her wounds, a disguised Jason who was similarly well, and a disguised Gabriel she almost sobbed in relief.

Gabriel was the first to spot Olivia. He was over in an instant, helping her and Thomas. They were both covered in mud, and when Gabriel took Thomas's arm to relieve Olivia, Thomas grabbed his arm tightly, suddenly struggling. Gabriel took his arms, holding him gently so Thomas wouldn't hurt himself.

"Thomas! Thomas! It's Gabriel! You're safe it's Gabriel." He Let go of Thomas's hands and took his cheeks. Thomas grabbed his arms, eyes wild with fear and pain.

"It's GABE!" He shouted. Thomas paused, the recognition flashing.

"Gabe?" Gabriel nodded, smiling and feeling a few tears well into his eyes.

"Yes it's Gabe it's Gabe you're okay!" He hugged Thomas tightly, dried mud sticking to his uniform. Thomas hugged him back, limp in his arms.

"You came back for me." Thomas almost sobbed the words. "I thought you wouldn't! I thought you'd leave. You wouldn't risk the team! The mission..." Gabe held him as the others approached.

"I've lost enough family Thomas. We've lost enough family. We weren't going to lose more." He held Thomas tightly. After several moments Jason stepped forward.

"Gabe, we can keep this up in the truck, but we have a schedule. We need to get their just before they finish locking down the lift! Or else it all might blow up in our faces!" Gabriel nodded. He released Thomas and put the younger mans arm around his shoulder. Taking most of his weight Gabriel thought about how much lighter he felt. Going to the back of the truck they tapped a rhythmic series, waiting for the door to open. When it did Gabriel helped Thomas up first. Lena and Ana grabbed him, hoisting him up gently. 

They sat him down in a seat, and Thomas saw them through a hazy fog. Lena and Ana were there. Thomas felt the world start to move, and he felt something rubbing his face and arms. He opened his mouth to say something but wound up coughing. Someone put a bottle in his hands, and he drank. It was sweet, not water but it was liquid. He drank the entire bottle in seconds, his arms falling limp beside him. He felt his wounds start to burn less, and he smiled. Someone was holding his hand, and he squeezed it tightly. The road was bumpy, and he was still starving. But he wasn't so thirsty anymore. And the bumping made him feel like he was getting rocked to sleep in the arms of... maybe not an angel but like a really comfy desk chair. And he closed his eyes, falling asleep in a moment.

It was Angela job to check Thomas's wounds, and as she did she felt her stomach sinking. His cheeks were sinking in. Not drastically, but noticeably. Angela doubted he'd eaten anything in days, and before that he'd barely been eating. She would get him food when he woke up, and if that took to long before then. As she cleaned the dried dirt and mud off his face and arms she saw how much of what she thought was accumulated filth was actually bruises. Thomas was covered in them. Reds, blues, purples. Cuts also adorned his features. Deep gashes on his arms, and certainly more on his sides. Others were smaller, fresher. And the most alarming part was how red some of them were. As she pulled away the mud some began bleeding freshly, and they let Angela see the red lines travelling up Thomas's veins. He didn't have a fever, in fact he was colder than usual.

"Please tell me" She began. "That some divine figure is intervening and in one of these dozen crates their is some sort of medicine!" The group began opening the crates and rummaging through them. Ana hadn't wanted to, fearing that if someone inspected the crates and saw them opened they would grow suspicious. But opening the crates and shifting the contents around they found a wide array of supplies. In one crates were cans of food. In another crate they found boxes of ammunition. Several boxes, though none of it was for weapons they had. Olivia opened one, her eyes widening as she pulled out a nineteen eighties style centerfold porn magazine. The centerfold rolled out, showing a highly revealing image of a women in the bed of a truck in a bikini. Ana was quick to snatch it up, shove it back into the crate and close it.

The other crates were similarly filled. Fuel, more unusable ammunition, alcohol. But of course in the second to last crate they found bottles marked with long words and lots of numbers. Angela took over, shuffling through it's contents. It was pain relievers. Useful, but Angela needed antiseptic, wound cleaners. If Angela had a wish list it would have her nanobots in it. She searched the box, finally finding a container with wound cleanser in it. Not the best, but worth it weight in gold at the moment. The group stacked to dozen large crates in a way to give Thomas a sort of privacy screen, and Jason offered his uniforms outer layer as covering for Thomas. It was thick and fluffy but most importantly dry. Next she would have to get him out of his clothes, most of which were glued to his body by dried mud and blood and sweat. Pulling on his shirt she confirmed that they were in fact glued to his body. So Angela took her knife and made a careful incision from his shirts arm hole to its waist, cutting through the stiff material and repeating the process. When his shirts were removed she began cleaning his torso as best she could. He, like all of them, needed a shower and proper hygiene. His ribs jut out, and any sort of fat he''d built up had been eaten away.

But for now the wet rag would have to do. She wiped away more dirt, mindful of the gash in his side and any bruises. It was slow going trying not to reopen wounds or tear them further, but she did. When he was as clean as she could make him she shook the aging bottle, spraying its contents on a red wound on Thomas's side. His face tightened in his sleep, wincing from the pain despite not feeling it. When the wound was covered totally Angela moved onto the next one. It took almost an hour just to clean and bandage his visible wounds on his torso and abdomen. His legs were in much better condition than his torso. Scratches and bruises yes, and like his shoulder his knee was a single disgusting bruise, but other than that he seemed better. Cleaning this took less than a fifteen minutes. Thomas awoke at a bumpy section of the road, blinking several times and trying to sit up. It took little force to keep him down, and he remained delirious as Angela finished spraying the worst of his wounds. When she was finished she helped him into fresh clothing, doing her best not to disturb the bubbling spray and not cause him pain.

Eventually the cabin was settled into, with Thomas sitting between Jason and Lena. They both were pressed close to the shivering man. Thomas himself was wrapped tightly in clothes, trying to keep warm. Despite this, he was smiling. And talking. Mostly babbling like a drunk man, asking questions and thanking them. When Jason began passing out food to the truck Thomas ate ravenously, opening the can with his hammer before getting a chance with the can opener. He finished the can in moments, drinking the pear flavored water in deep gulps. He finished four cans of peaches and pears before moving onto two loaves of hard bread and several strips of a dried meat similar to beef jerky. Angela refused to give him any more. He hadn't eaten in days, and before that he'd had food poisoning. Even the food he'd already eaten would probably make him sick. Eventually, through the most dignified sort of begging Thomas could muster Gabriel was surprisingly the one to crack.

"Angela can he have some more bread at least?" Angela hesitated, but found it hard to refuse a starving young man food. And while still ravenous Thomas nibbled, resting his head against Lena's shoulder. They discussed what the group would do when they left the underground fortress city. Thomas spoke, his voice raspy and teeth chattering. He spoke slowly and deliberately.

"There is a place. No one goes there. But it will have food, medicine, technology. Enough to save us. Maybe get a signal out." He pushed the last of the bread in his mouth, crunching on it. Lena looked at the others in the group.

"Normally that doesn't sound so terrifying. What's wrong with it?" Thomas smiled.

" It's the site of an Omnium plant. The whole cities a graveyard, littered with bones, wrecks, corpses." Thomas began to cough into his elbow, his whole thin frame shaking. Everyone tensed, unsure of how to help but wanting to. Eventually he stopped coughing, breathing quietly through his nose.

"It's going to be a while before we reach the lift. Maybe it would be a good idea to all get some rest." Angela offered. So aside from a driver and someone riding shotguns Ana and Jason got out the blankets and handed them out. Thomas and Lena bundled up together, sharing two blankets. Before falling asleep, Olivia took something from her pocket. She moved next to Thomas.

"I stole this back for you." She said quietly. Thomas focused on it, his eyes widening as he saw it.

"Arthur's ring. You took it back?" She nodded, handing it to Thomas who slipped free of his blanket and put it on his finger. It still fit perfectly.

"I know how much it means to you." Thomas looked up at her, smiling a wide toothy smile.

"Thank you. Oli I- Thank you." Olivia nodded, hugging Thomas one last time before sitting back down. Thomas pulled the blanket back over himself, looking at his ring a final time before settling in against the hard seat. Most of the group fell asleep in an instant. once the truck had quieted down. Surprisingly Thomas stayed awake. Gabriel glanced back, seeing him still awake. He spoke quietly enough that the sleeping passengers couldn't here you.

"You should sleep to Thomas. You'll need it." Thomas glanced at Gabriel and looked away.

"I'm... I'm scared," He responded quietly. Gabriel glanced back at him and got up, walking over to him. He crouched down in front of Thomas and a sleeping Lena.

"Of what?" He asked.

"That this isn't real." Thomas said, barely audible. Gabriel smiled at him.

"It is. And if you're scared, we found you once, we'll do it again." Thomas looked up at him, Hazel green eyes wide and fearful. It looked like all the sass, sarcasm and all the struggle left him. Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll always find you Thomas. I promise." Thomas smiled and nodded, leaning backwards and settling in. Within moments his eyelids drooped closed and his breathing slowed. Gabriel returned to his seat and settled in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reunited. I'm thinking another chapter in Canada, and the one after that one its gets really fluffy. I have a lot of ideas for when our main pairing meet up, and I'm working out when Jack and Gabriel come into play. Hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> P.S. Almost nine hundred people have viewed this. That's about eight hundred and sixty more than I ever thought would. All you who read, comment and kudos this are the reason I write. Enjoy.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I wanna write smut but I trapped myself in plot. Smut may be coming in the next chapter or two. I am never going more than five chapters without some sort of smut. Anyway enjoy this fluffier chapter and cool your heels, I've had a lot of ideas for how Thomas and Jesse reunite.

Looking at the entrance to the surface elevator, Gabriel felt his stomach sinking. Guards swarmed the building, as they'd expected, only instead of simply checking the soldier's ID's and passing the vehicles along, they were pulling them apart searching them. The uniforms they had would work against a brief inspection, and the ID's they had at least looked like each person thanks to some last minute forgery. But if they looked closely at someone, especially Thomas, they'd realize the group isn't up to their standards. 

But the group was stuck in traffic. Their truck had made it into the line minutes before they closed it off to new traffic. The line was moving quickly, giving the impression they weren't being thoroughly checked. But thorough or not, they needed to think of a way to get out of this mess. And that meant waking them up. They were still extremely well trained and experienced soldiers, but what must have been at least two weeks of non stop combat, sleep deprivation, fighting monsters, soldiers and a slew of other symptoms caused everyone to rouse slowly. Olivia and Jason were the first awake, slowly followed by the others. Angela did a quick check of everyone, looking over various wounds and how well they were looking. She was getting more and more concerned over Fareeha's leg wound. She'd cleaned it well, but it wasn't healing properly. It went clean through with no breaks, but an infected wound was still a death sentence without medicine. Thomas wasn't looking good either. He was awake, barely. And his cough was getting worse. Other than that everyone had been injured in some form. Small scrapes, cuts and bruises hung on the group, pulling at them.

After some deliberation a plan had been put in place. They'd learned that bribery wasn't uncommon in the military. And they had crates of supplies, including boxes of unusable ammunition. Ammunition which was still very profitable if used correctly.

And it worked. It worked well. Some more discussion had decided it would be Gabriel and Fareeha staying in the front. When they were next in line, Gabriel leaned out, offered his I.D. to the soldiers, and offered to conveniently forget a crate full of ammunition if they let him pass. A smile and handshake later they were one crate lighter, on a giant vehicle elevator, surrounded by trucks, light armored vehicles, and two aged tanks from the 40's. 

And the ride went perfectly as well. No one talked to anyone in the group, no one approached them. People didn't even glance at them, seemingly scared to. When they reached the surface they took a very different route out of the the underground, and for the first time in nearly a week they saw...

A full fledged blizzard that blotted out the sun entirely. Gabriel felt his heart sink at the sight. This was the blizzard they were supposed to avoid. The wind shook the massive truck, causing it to shake. Olivia looked like she was turning green as the shaking got worse. The tires slipped and slid on the ground, and at some point all the lights around the vehicle went out, and the headlights died at the same time. Being able to see nothing at all, Gabriel managed to finagle himself along the roads for several minutes before he bumped a tree. Starting again they crashed about twenty minutes later. This process continued for hours, snail speed driving followed by Gabriel bumping trees and rocks. Eventually the group came upon a cliff face without realizing it. It wasn't steep enough to cause a plummet, but the truck slid over the edge and began speeding forward, smashing through small trees. It hit one hard, causing an ear piercing screech to be heard as metal struck against metal in unnatural constructions. For a moment everyone floated, and then they slammed into the ground. The truck had landed properly, all four wheels on the ground. But the occupants were not so lucky. Jason had slammed his head into a crate, and was unconscious. Angela and Thomas had been thrown against each other, and both lay slumped on the floor. Fareeha was conscious, but she gripped her lag, gasping in pain. Gabriel had hit the steering wheel hard, but had his wits about him. Ana and Lena had been mostly spared from the crash.

Gabriel check Fareeha, wincing at the look of her leg. Her shin was broken, bending awkwardly. Ana checked Jason, relieved that her friend quickly regained consciousness, if not full alertness. Thomas and Angela were both checked. Both were unconscious, but still living. Glancing amongst the group Ana felt a spike of panic. Olivia wasn't there. She looked at the pile of crates. It shifted slightly, and she leapt upon it, pulling two crates off of her and revealing her form. Numerous bruises were patched onto her visible skin. Her eyes were open, and she smiled weakly at Ana.

"Thanks." Ana took another crate, pulling it aside and helping Olivia up. As soon as she was Ana hugged her tightly.

"You all need to stop scaring me." The sound of grinding filled the truck, shattering the brief respite. The sound continued for several seconds before a loud whirring was heard, then a thunking. Then the sound of an engine humming to life.

"FUCK YES! We have life!" Gabriel turned around, blood dripping from the wound on his head, smiling widely. The truck slid forward several feet, and that horrible grinding filled the truck again. The sound was so high pitched in caused Angela to wake up. She sat up groggily, covering her ears from the noise. When the truck starting going forward faster the noise became high pitched and ticking. After barely minutes of this Gabriel stopped the truck. Ana moved forward, away from a now awake Thomas. Fareeha was in the back with the others, leaving Lena and Gabriel in the front. Gabriel glanced back at Ana and shook his head.

"Everything for miles will hear us, even in the storm. We'll drag everything still on this mountain to us if we keep it up. Any suggestions?" Ana looked out the shattered windshield and windows, shaking her head.

"Put a blanket to cover that opening. For tonight- er... now, we eat. And sleep. And wait for a break to move." Gabriel nodded, pulling himself out of the drivers sheet. Before long another meal had passed by, and everyone slept next to each other, desperate to preserve body heat.

Later

After only two hours, the storm had a break. It was going to be brief, Gabriel could see the wall of darkness looming over them. closing in. But the storm could have been here for days already. And with the sheer amount of snow already piling into the truck they wouldn't last another day out here, let alone what could very likely take a week. They ate a final meal, took what they could, and left. If anyone could find the truck again whatever they could pull from it was theirs. Thomas stepped out of the truck, and began smiling. He stepped forward, stumbling with every step and falling into the snow quickly. But he kept the smile. When Lena and Jason helped him up, he spoke.

"I know where we are. We're a few hours from the place I told you about." He muttered the next word, home, so inaudibly that neither of the two next to him heard him. Thomas turned and looked back at the mountain, smiling.

"Gabe. You literally drove us up and down a mountain. Mason's fortress, it's hours away. They must have dropped us off on the outermost exits. We aren't that far. Thomas began stumbling again, talking to himself, almost babbling. Nobody thought it was smart to follow Thomas like this, but they had little idea where to go. And even though he was delirious, Thomas walked with passion towards the next mountains, which formed a steep rock wall on either side of a valley and led into a small ravine. Thomas babbled the whole time.

"You're going to love it." He promised, again and again and again. "It's beautiful. The buildings, the water. Their's a lake, one that shines crystal blue. And the woods are a deep rich green and brown. Where storms won't hurt, and the sun always smiles. And they'll be there. They have to be. They have to be." Most of the babbling consisted of these words in random orders, or senseless mutterings. When they reached the ravine Thomas simply walked down the slope, not sparing a glance to anything else. They followed behind him, with Olivia speaking to him quietly and keeping him from collapsing into the snow. The wind was picking up, and snowflakes were getting caught in everyone's hair and clothes.

The ravine continued declining downwards, leading to a cavern lit by overhead light. A handful of animals, not all of them natural, moved about. They stayed in the shadows, only occasionally darting across the beams of light into the shadows again. Overhead the wind became roaring again, and piles of snow were dumped through the ravine. None of the piles struck the team, and Thomas seemed not to notice at all. He'd fallen silent, leaning heavily on Olivia. After several more hours of walking they began walking on a rising slope. The group stopped, with Olivia struggling to convince a nearly delirious Thomas to stop. They spoke briefly, eating while they spoke. Nobody liked it, but they couldn't stay here for days either. If Thomas was actually leading them somewhere, then that would be their best chance.

Gabriel moved forward, taking one of Thomas's shoulders and moving him to look Thomas in the eyes. The green in them had almost drained away, replaced with a dull grey. His cheeks were freezing to the touch, even through the cloth covering his wounds and face. Gabriel gently touched his side, the most severely wounded area, and Thomas jerked out away from the touch, a quiet gasp and noticeable wince of pain going through him even from a gentle touch. The wound was wet but Gabriel's fingers weren't red.

"How bad is it?" Thomas glared up at him, and Gabriel smiled. There's the Thomas he knows.

"It's a flesh wound. It'll be fine." Thomas growled out the words, causing Gabriel to raise an eyebrow. Thomas began moving again, and the group did. Gabriel sighed quietly, whispering to Ana as the spoke. They could barely hear each other over the wind.

"I'm worried. The splint we made for Fareeha isn't going to hold up. Jason's not all their still, and Thomas looks like he's about to die." Ana nodded.

"We just need something to get a signal to low orbit. From their the stations can send a drop pod." Gabriel shook his head.

"Through the storm? I know no one will be in the pod, but will it even land near us?" They hadn't used a drop pod because even under the best conditions it was difficult to land one of the small low orbit ships. Simple gusts of wind in high orbit could send the pod barreling into Quebec instead of Alaska. But there wasn't much choice. So they moved again. They climbed the slope up and out of the canyon, and were greeted by the burnt and tipped over corpse of a large car. The group paused, staring at it. IT was years old, but how did it get here? Gabriel took a step forward, and he felt something firmer than dirt under the snow. Struggling to get the snow off, Gabriel saw under the snow was road. He knocked more of it off, and used his feet to clear a trail that led back down into the ravine. The road led around a bend not far ahead.

This ravine must have been the result of something else, because when the team doubled back to check how far it went, they saw it was fragmented into thousands of pieces in the ravine. So they went up the slope again, following the road. Burned out wrecks sat in the treeline. The ground was becoming pot marked. Deep craters filled with snow that the group sunk into. The road led into a bigger road, a massive super highway. Archways still lay somewhat intact overhead. Hundreds of cars, some flipped, crushed, blown up, lay on the road. But the thing that most stood out was the bodies. Almost every car had at least one body in it. Hundreds of bodies lay on the ground, many of them bleached white. And many of them in the shredded remnants of soldier uniforms. The group fanned out, looking around the cars. Ana stayed with Thomas, who was sitting on one of the wrecks.

"Thomas" She began. "Do you know what happened here?" Thomas shook his head.

"No. It's always been like this. No one comes over here because of it. It leads to the city though. The big one. We shouldn't follow the roads though, they aren't stable." Ana nodded, looking around. Slowly the group left the area and began walking back into the woods, following Thomas. They climbed hills that grew gradually larger. Then they were out of the woods.

In front of them was a dilapidated cabin. It was about three stories tall, with a side sinking into the ground and the railing nearly ripped off by time and weather. Snow was piled onto its roof, and it looked like some was going inside the cabin. Clumps of trees were clusters around the cabin and down the hill. A trio of mountain peaks were in the distance, with trees clustering all the way to the mountain tops. To the right was a large, destroyed city.

Ana gasped quietly, looking at Thomas.

"The picture." She said. "The one you were drawing. This is it. This is your home." Thomas smiled, but didn't respond. He walked forward to the cabin, still smiling. The group tagged along behind him. Thomas pushed the door open, and it fell off its hinges, he picked it up, knocked some of the snow off the rotting wood, and set it to the side.

"Come in. Come in. Nobodies been here since I left. I've got food. Fareeha, I've got medicine here. We can... we can stay here! For a while. This is like a... an outpost. My main base, my home, it's further in city. That place, it's warm and safe. Better." Thomas turned around, and that gleam seemed to return to his eyes. The gleam he had when he was thinking about something.

As the group funneled in they were dissapointed by the state of the cabin. It was big, but the entire third floor was collapsed and destroyed. The roof was mostly gone, and the ceiling of the second floor, as well as the scraps of cloth that presumably Thomas had set up were all that kept the snow out. Those scraps were gone, and the roofs support beams had collapsed, littering the ground with wood splinters and logs of broken wood. Angela, Gabriel and Lena all went upstairs, searching the bathroom and one of the bedrooms were Thomas said he stored supplies. The doors were locked, but neither stood on more than a single hinge. One fell over as soon as Angela touched it, making her jump slightly. Two of the couches were moved, with Fareeha on one and Jason on the other.

Ana and Thomas stayed on the ground floor, gathering the ruined wood into a pile that could be burned. They were surrounded by pine trees, which would burn if they needed to but weren't very good at it since they were covered in snow. Thomas was searching around the fireplace, muttering to himself. Ana approached behind him, loud enough he heard her.

"Looking for something?" She asked. Thomas nodded.

"Yeah. I had some matches here. I just can't remember if I put them here or somewhere else."

"Why not start a fire yourself?" Thomas laughed quietly, the noise turning into more coughs for a moment.

"With what?" He asked. "Mind powers?"

"Mutant powers?" She asked. Thomas froze for a moment, before glancing back Fareeha and Jason, both of whom were asleep. Jason's head wound was clearly worse than he was letting on, and Thomas worried he may lose an eye. It was turning the kind of red that could only mean something was bleeding in a bad place. And Fareeha's leg was getting worse. It had started burning about halfway through the trip. While she was to big to be carried, she leaned on Ana and Gabriel very heavily. The other were talking upstairs, loud enough to not hear whispers spoken below.

"What are you talking about?!" He demanded. Ana paused, momentarily taken aback by Thomas's sudden change in demeanor.

"During your... imprisonment, I saw you use them. Only I saw it. Jason didn't accompany me that day." Thomas seemed relieved by the news, further intriguing Ana.

"Do not tell anyone. Ever. Okay? Don't speak about it, talk about it, mention it, forget it ever happened."

"Why?" Ana asked.

"Because I can't control it. At all. The arena was different it was life or death. But outside those stressful situations, I can't control it. Plus, people hate Pyromancers. A lot. And the only thing they hate more than experienced Pyromancers, are the reject ones like me who can't control it." Ana nodded.

"I understand. But you need to understand we aren't going to punish you for being different." Thomas's response was a snort.

"Ana, you aren't the only leader in Overwatch. Their's a whole council of people. Their's a whole slew of diplomats and politicians who you report to. What would they do, if they found out someone who illegally fled a Fallout zone, joined an internationally terrorists organization, killed a lot of people, and was a mutant was in Overwatch, cozying up to the higher ups? They'd have my head on a spike. They'd-" His voice cracked. "They'd take me away from you. From Jesse. From everyone. I'd lose everything. So please do not tell anyone about this." Ana nodded. She hadn't planned on telling anyone anyway.

"Of course Thomas." Everyone continued working in silence for several minutes, before the group upstairs came down. The newest debate was whether they should bother trying to start a fire downstairs, which would be nearly impossible to secure with all its windows, weakened walls and busted doors, or move upstairs to the second floor, which was in a better state and only has the one stairwell as an entrance. Ultimately they moved upstairs, with everyone crowding into a single room that was the most intact. The door shut and locked, and once several dozen cans of food and units of medicine were transferred inside Thomas told them were to find extra blankets and clothes. Which were in the basement because of course they were. Thomas refused to go, and considering what he'd found last time no one pushed him to.

As Ana and Gabriel walked down the basement they braced themselves for whatever horrible abomination of nature would burst out at them. Gabriel opened the door, suggesting he would go first since he was the stronger of the two. Ana agreed, and they opened the door quickly. The force and sudden movement snapped the hinges and broke the doorknob. Both of them froze, glancing at each other and advancing slowly by flashlight.

In the basement were several shelves, most of which had toppled over. Scattered across the ground were dozens of cans and boxes, many of which were opened and long since emptied. Ana briefly considered staying down here, but as they walked towards the center of the room they noticed water had collected in a small pool. Cleaning such a simple mess was beyond them at the moment. Ana and Gabriel spread out, grabbing a pile of cloth that disintegrated as they touched them. Gabriel opened a cabinet, seeing a number of towels which were filthy and bundled together but still usable. Ana grabbed boxes of dry food and an additional medkit on the wall. When she opened it though she found it's contents had been pillaged, probably by Thomas a long time ago. She discarded that empty container, and grabbed more food. The two then left quickly, returning to the room. Gabriel grabbed a couch from downstairs, yanking it partially upstairs before following Ana.

The door was locked behind them, and they took the dirty towels, distributing some of them and using the rest to block the windows and cover the floors in a dirty, vaguely fluffy blanket. They turned the bed frame up, using it to block the door. They took the two mattresses and lay them on the floor next to each other. Another mattress had been brought in earlier, and the three took up most of the room. Jason and Fareeha rested on one mattress, with Angela laying next to them. That left the rest of them to decide who would watch and who would sleep.

"I can take-" Thomas began, sitting in one corner off a mattress.

"Absolutely not." Said Gabriel. Thomas paused, and before he could speak Lena spoke.

"He's right. We need you to be sharp tomorrow. It's gonna be a long day."

"I wont sleep well anyway, I-" Gabriel shushed him, pulling a bullet from a magazine. He held it up, and stared at Thomas.

"Take it from my hand." He said. Thomas paused, recognizing what he was doing.

"Gabe-"

"Take it from my hand, or go to bed." Thomas had only ever gotten once, and that was when he got really pissed, slapped Gabriel, grabbed the bullet and began spontaneously wrestling before being pinned and forced to give Gabriel the bullet back. Thomas knew he would never get it from him when he was like this.

Gabriel saw Thomas's shoulders fall, and it killed him to injure some part of Thomas, even if it wasn't physical. Thomas sighed and took a blanket, curling it around himself in the corner dejectedly. Lena volunteered to take first watch, and the rest of the group moved to sleep. Gabriel sat next to Thomas and spoke with him quietly enough no one could hear.

"So are you done pouting yet?" He asked. Thomas's face jerked up at him, an incredulous look plastered on his face.

"I am not pouting!" he whispered back. Gabriel nodded.

"Of course you are. You're sitting away from the others-"

"I don't want to roll over onto them!"

"-arms crossed."

"I'm cold!"

"So why not sleep with the others?" Thomas glared at him, then looked away, crossing and uncrossing his arms.

"I don't pout." He said. Gabriel smiled.

"Of course yo don't. That's why you enjoy storming away when you're upset. Or sitting in trees in the woods. Or telling other people to fuck off when they annoy you. Or crossing your arms and leaning on walls. Totally not pouting." Thomas glared again, and looked away, scooting away a little. Gabriel scooted closer to him, looking at Thomas.

"Will you-"

"Fuck off?" Finished Gabriel. Thomas closed his mouth and looked away. Gabriel leaned in closer.

"Here's a special offer. Please. Please lay down, and sleep." Thomas's gaze softened, and he shook his head.

"Fine." He got up gruffly, taking his blanket and marching off to bed. He got out of his outermost layer of clothes, which were still coated in snow. His old clothes had been discarded somewhere, soaked so thoroughly if he had left them on he would have frozen to death. Thomas took off his boots and left them next to the bed. He wrapped the blanket tighter, already shivering, and lay on the blanket. He was asleep in an instant. As they all dozed off or stayed awake, Gabriel moved to lay next to Thomas on the only remaining spot on a mattress. Ana was going to stay up with Lena, partially to ensure Lena stayed awake, and partially to allow to the girl to fall asleep if she did.

Laying on the mattress with his own thin spotty blanket Gabriel felt Thomas, who had curled up into a ball in his sleep, shift closer to the larger man. He rolled over, his face laying next to Gabe's arm. he was still curled up tightly. He didn't look like he was sleeping well. Gabriel rolled over as well, taking his blanket and draping it over the two of them. He felt Thomas uncurl slightly, and Thomas opened his eyes. He wasn't awake, and probably wasn't conscious. He looked up at Gabe, and pressed his head closer to Gabriel. Gabe smiled and relaxed, feeling the smaller and younger man do the same.

Later.

The group moved out quickly. The storm had moved in again, a fierce band of wailing wind and snow that lashed at them. Thomas led them as well as he could through the snow, leading them down slopes and around crevices. It was slow grueling work, but the ground under their feet slowly turned from permafrost dirt into frosted concrete. The ground began to crunch under their feet, and after a few steps Thomas disappeared under the snow. Lena dove after him, grabbing him and seemingly catching him. Thomas grabbed her arm, but relaxed with a sigh after a moment.

"It's okay! It's just a trench. I'm touching the side. You can let go." Lena did, but stayed there and helped him out of the trench. He shook himself, knocking off some of the snow.

"It's just a trench. We're almost there. We just have to go through the ruins. Their's a lift near here that has some more supplies I stored. It's uh... it's..." He gestured randomly, turning as he did so. He put his hand down.

"Somewhere around here... this way." He pointed a direction and they began walking.

"Do you know where we are?" Asked Olivia. Thomas nodded.

"Of course I do. It's just this way."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Sure. Sure I'm sure. Yeah... I'm sure." Thomas wiped his forehead. He was sweating, and it was freezing to his skin.

"Really? Because it feels like you're lost." Thomas turned around, walking or limping backwards.

"Whether or not we are lost is a matter of speculation, but the important thing is I'm here and I'm saying we aren't lost! And if someone else was doing that you may be very concerned because then no one would be telling you you aren't lost. Just trust me, and I will find-" He fell backwards, tripping on something.

"Found it." He said. Thomas sat up, and the group looked at the structure in front of them. They couldn't see much, but it looked like a metal prefabricated tower. The kind that would be put at outposts during the omnic crises. Thomas got up and walked around it, finding the ascending ramp and quickly walking up it. Ana followed him, and nearly slipped on the ramp. Thomas helped her up, and the two entered the main observation room. Inside on the right was a pile of old blankets sitting on a small bed frame. To the left was a dresser and several metal boxes and crates. Several sets of clothes were hanging from improvised coat hangers. They were small, and almost all of them were ripped or stained in numerous places with blood. A table sit in one corner. On it was numerous bits of metal. Screws, nails, twisted scrap, ammunition casings. Bottles of various liquids were on the table as well. Thomas moved inside, going to the dresser and pulling out the drawers. He started from the bottom, opening them quickly and grabbing the random things he saw before shoving them into a duffel bad that was laying on the floor.

Ana checked around the room, mostly observing the area. Dirt and dust claimed every surface, with trash littering the ground in what was probably once a pile that had been scattered. Thomas pushed aside an empty container, letting it slide across the floor. He moved to a potbelly stove, opening it up and grabbing pieces of charcoal out of it. He tossed it in the bad before moving to the clothes. He pushed through them, occasionally pulling one off its rack to examine it closer. Most of them he tossed aside. He finished quickly, and shook his head.

"Someone took my stuff. All the good bits are gone. Let's go." Everyone moved out, with Thomas leading them around a battlefield. Gabriel recognized it, despite the low visibility. He'd fought here before. The city they were going to, it was one of the Omnium cities. Thousands of people who's entire lives depended on the making of omnics, refinement of Omnium ore and the various bits of work that was required to run the factories and manage the A.I. It was also one of the numerous strongholds the omnics has created. The trenches they were trudging through were just one of the many layers that had been created by human forces assaulting the strongholds.

They made it to the city itself, and were greeted by another break in the storm. it revealed the burnt, charred and ruined rubble. Thomas led them across the city easily, climbing burned tanks, pushing brittle bones aside, more than once pausing to collect something that caught his eyes from one of the many corpses. He led them over the ruins to a completely leveled building, leading them into the rubble and down to a hidden staircase. It wasn't meant to be hidden, but amidst the crumbles remains of a building it might as well have not existed.

The best part of finding the staircase was Thomas's reaction. He began to move faster as they descended the staircase, and he was smiling widely. At the end of the staircase he ran in front of them, nearly losing them in the pitch darkness. He reappeared from the darkness, holding an additional lantern. It was electric, and he turned it on before handing it to Gabe.

"We're almost there! Use your flashlights. Be careful down here, it's an old tunnel but it should still hold up." Thomas was smiling, and he turned around to lead them onwards before hearing a response. It didn't take long for him to find a second lantern, this one an ancient gas powered lantern from the 1980's that hissed when he turned the valve. As they walked and climbed over debris the sound of the wind howling far above them picked up. Thomas paused at a crossroads, feeling along a wall for something. When he found it he laughed and hit a switch. Humming began from a nearby room, and light filled the hallway. The passage to the right was completely collapsed. Thomas ran over to a piece of rubble, one that sat upon countless scratch marks. He began to push it, fighting with all his strength as it failed to move at all. Gabriel and Lena helped him, and slowly they barricaded the doorway with a large twisted piece of metal. Thomas was panting by the time it was done.

"Okay. Let's go." They walked through a large set of doors that opened into a small room. It was maybe a dozen feet long and wide, with the other side of the room housing another large double doorway next to a smell extension of the wall. It had once had a glass shield between it and the rest of the room, but that shield had since shattered. Pieces of the glass were still on the ground. The chair inside the glass extension was covered in blood that had since dried into the blue fabric. Thomas led them through the double doors into a huge bunker.

The ceiling hung two stories over there heads, with dangling lights casting scattered lights. To the right and left were single doorways leading to other rooms. The room in front of them however, was a sight to behold. Clothes hung from more makeshift hangers to the right, most of which stained dark shades of red or torn in various places. A broken Canadian army helmet sat on a desk, the right eye side of the visor missing. A cabinet, filled to overflowing with weapons, lay in one corner. In the other corner a bookshelf was stacked with books, arranged alphabetically and with subjects ranging from Astrology to Zoology. Several tables, most of which were covered in trash and junk and paper, were placed around the room. Catwalks circled the room one story up, with a staircase leading down to the first floor.

Thomas was smiling widely as he stepped into the room, doing a full circle counterclockwise as he did so. He sat down in a loose chair, and lounged backwards. He sighed deeply as he did so. The rest of the group, with no instruction, began moving around the first floor. Lena peeked through the door to the left, seeing four bunks stacked by twos to the left and right. The room was like a large closet. Stepping in Lena saw a door to the right, which led to a small bathroom crowded by toilet, sink and shower. She could touch both sides at once, and was happily surprised that it wasn't as filthy as the rest of the place. The door to the left led to a large room with blankets and towels shoved piled up.

Ana checked the door to the right, seeing a wide room with cabinets, a stove and oven as well as a fridge. She stepped in, looking around at the foods on the table. A large pile of cans and empty bags were piled up in one corner. To the right of the entrance Ana saw several pictures hung up on a wall, as well as several large sketch books. Moving over to one she looked at the drawing. There were six of them hung up on the wall. One was dark, with the dark silhouette of a hand reaching out, not casting shadows but drawing them in. In another though she saw a picture of a town. The people were all blurry, but the buildings and environment were distinct. It looked like a wooden village plucked from the 1800's, with porch lanterns and rocking chairs drawn out. The sun sat low over twin peaking mountains, and the snow glistened from the sun. Long shadows reached away from the road running down the center of the drawing, and gentle snowfall graced the sky.

Ana picked up a sketch book off the table and opened it up. The first drawing were... awful. It was the kind of thing you expected a child to make, with wide blocky lines and poorly formed people and images. Ana smiled and flicked through the pages, noting a slow but steady improvement to the drawing. Whole pages full of hands, fingers, eyes, heads, bodies and random environments drawn in varying levels of details. She quickly found the end of the book, as it was only about fifty pages. At the end of the book was-

Thomas Byron

In sloppy printed handwriting that blended the letters to near eligibility. Ana made a note to go back to the pile of books, interested to see what all Thomas had drawn. She moved around the room, opening cabinets to briefly get an idea of how much food was here. It was a lot of food. Bags of grains and canned goods were stacked in deep cupboards, and in the corner of the room partially obscured by the fridge was another door. Checking it Ana saw it led down to a room piled with food and boxes. She closed the door, not wanting to leave the group behind and feeling just a small amount of fear at the idea of entering a dark basement alone. She quashed the fear, but still turned and closed the door, feeling a little shiver go up her spine as her heart beat faster.

Then she heard the movement. It was quiet, a gentle rustling. A bolt of fear ran through her as she quickly located the source. A cabinet. She had the element of surprise. Whatever it was it knew Ana was there, but not where she was. She pulled her pistol, again mourning the loss of her rifle. The small comfort that it would self destruct before it would kill anyone was not lost to her, but its lost weighed on her like a lost friend. She approached it quietly, taking a can and tossing it back towards the room where most of the group has spread out. In a moment Gabriel and Angela were at the doorway, guns drawn and silent. Ana gestured at the cabinet, and the three began slowly advancing on the cabinet.

Ana yanked it open, and the threes flashlights and gun barrels filled the space. A gun barrel pointed out at them, with a young girl holding it. She couldn't have been older than eight, and had very short red-brown hair, with the brown being more prominent. Her hair that barely went past her ears, and her emaciated cheeks were covered in dense freckles. She glared at them wordlessly, wide brown eyes full of both hatred and fear. The sound of the cabinet opening brought Thomas and Lena into the room, where Thomas gasped quietly. He pushed forward, smiling widely.

"Put the guns down. Sophia, it's Thomas." The girls head jerked, and she smiled. She climbed out of the cabinet and glared at Ana before running to Thomas. He hugged her tightly, laughing while tears came to his eyes.

"Sophie you're alive! You're okay!" He held her at arms length.

"And you're almost as big as me!" He hugged her again, tears running freely from both of them. Sophia said nothing, but she held Thomas like a drowning sailor would a lifesaver. Then they heard another sound from the cabinet. A second head poled out, this one far more timid that his counterpart. He had a tangled shock of red-brown hair that went out in all directions, but his was much redder than Sophia's. He had wide eyes just like Sophia's except his were deep green. He looked at Thomas and smiled widely, showing off a poorly managed set of teeth.

"Mark!" Shouted Thomas. The young boy, who looked no older than six, slowly crawled out, glancing at the surrounding adults. Then he darted in Thomas's waiting arms, burying his face in Thomas's shoulder. Thomas held the two children tightly.

"I missed you so much. How are you here! What happened!" He withdrew from the hug, letting mark stay wrapped around him when he refused to let go. Sophia glanced around, glaring at everyone else in the group. It volumes without saying a word. She moved forward, next to Thomas's ear and whispered into it.

"Not here. Rooms. Not them." Thomas nodded, standing up with some difficulty. When Gabriel moved to help him she produced a very small pistol, pointing it at his chest. When Angela stepped forward, encouraging her to lower the pistol with Thomas's help, she produced a second pistol pointed at Angela.

"Sophie! No, they are my friends." She glared at them, then walked forward out of the room.

"Stay away from her, I'll to talk to her. Make yourselves at home here though, there's a lot of food downstairs, and water runs here. Clean water. I'll be back." And with Mark in his arms he left the room. The others mulled about for a moment before moving around the room.

Thomas followed Sophie into the bedroom. He was immediately hugged again, and he laughed heartily, going down to one knee to let Mark down. Mark refused to let go, and Thomas kissed him on the neck. He held the two of them close for what must have been several minutes. Finally Sophie broke away, going to a bunk to sit on it. Mark reluctantly followed.

"Okay... first off-"

"We followed your directions. It took us almost a year to get this far out, but we got here almost a year ago." Sophie blurted out, interrupting him. Thomas smiled at her, dirty teeth revealing themselves in between cracked and bloodied lips.

"Good job. Where's Yanzi?" There faces fell, and he knew he had his answer. Thomas set his jaw, exhaling quietly.

"She died before we got here. A long time before. We were camping... and these people they snuck up-" Thomas shushed her.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Sophie's smile grew some, and she nodded to Thomas. Thomas turned to Mark.

"And what about you. You little squirt you're growing up on me." Mark smiled and nodded, but said nothing.

"Mark hasn't spoken since... a while. He can hear... but I think he hurt his ears. They get puffy sometimes." Thomas nodded, the motion causing his headache to complain loudly.

"Okay. We need to go over a few things. First off, don't shoot anyone here. They're friendly." Sophie frowned and crossed her arms.

"But I don't like them. They just walk in-"

"I led them here. They need our help. We're leaving this place. Forever. You're coming with me." Sophia and Mark exchanged a glance.

"We're leaving this place. Those stories, about tech and the sun, it's all true!" Sophie looked skeptic.

"Right, and people can get food for paper?"

"Yes! And water runs from metal, and I can talk to anyone in the world!" Sophie's look changed slightly from skeptical to mildly curious. Mark looked excited, and his eyes glew like a child who thinks they saw Santa Clause. 

"The people won't kill you on sight. Some of them actually give you stuff. For free!" Sophie's jaw dropped.

"Free! No trading?" Thomas nodded.

"None. And... and some of the people are actually really nice. Like the people I came here with. They're good people. And we need them. So no shooting, no stabbing, no scratching. And no biting either!" Sophie nodded, and Mark enthusiastically nodded, smiling widely.

"Good. Let's go and uh... watch a movie?" The two kids nodded excitedly and began walking away. Thomas smiled and leaned back against the frame of the bunks. He grabbed one and tried to pull himself up, but his legs were shaking so much he slid back down. Thomas groaned quietly, throbbing pain lancing up through his body. Then he saw Gabe in the doorway. Thomas smiled at him from his position on the floor.

"Hey Gabe, can I get a little help?" Gabriel paused while looking down at Thomas. They all looked and felt awful, but in the light of the bunker Thomas looked awful. Far too skinny to be healthy and with wide patches of skin bruised and swollen he made a better zombie than a human. Dirt caked him again, with clumps of snow glued into his hair. Gabe reached down, taking his hand and pulling him up. Thomas winced as he got up, leaning heavily against the bunk. His breathes were ragged and stressed.

"Thanks." Gabe nodded. Thomas took a step and winced, leaning against the bunk again.

"Where's the pain?" Thomas glanced at Gabe.

"Everywhere. Can you... help me?" Gabriel nodded, taking Thomas's arm around his shoulder and helping him to the front room. When Thomas was on the couch he spoke to the kids.

"Why don't you two go pick something. We can... we can watch it. Something funny." The two kids smiled widely and disappeared up the stairs to the walkway and into a room. Thomas sagged once they were out of eyesight, letting the feeling of laying on something so comfortable. The couch was honestly rock hard and dusty, but compared to the hard military seats and old mostly decayed mattresses it may as well have been pure silk. Thomas let his eyes close listening to the quiet talk of the bunker, far more than he'd ever heard before. The sound of Lena, Ana and Jason talking. Angela and Fareeha whispering in the corner, quiet giggles sometimes escaping.

When Thomas awoke he heard laughter and shouting. He opened his eyes, moving suddenly before he was stilled by Gabriel. He looked down at Thomas, who in his sleep had migrated until his head rested on Gabriel's arm. Not entirely awake or aware of where he was or what was happening, Thomas accepted the small comfort. He wanted to know what was happening, but a far more powerful feeling told him he didn't want to be bothered. Thomas let his head fall back down, pulling the blanket that had been placed on him in his sleep up to his neck.

Gabriel felt Thomas's breathing even out and smiled. He shifted slightly on the hard couch, careful not to jostle either Thomas or Olivia, who was fast asleep on the other end of the couch with her own blanket. Gabriel let out a deep sigh before turning his attention back to the movie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sick of story. This chapter took so much longer because it was a slog to write. Plot is overrated. Comment if you agree, or don't. Thanks for reading, smut coming soon.
> 
> Also I've been working on a little smutty one shot story (Not Overwatch) that is about halfway done. Expect that in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for reading peoples.


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